The Miko of a New Generation
by Blade of Grass
Summary: I have to admit- this story doesn't have a plotline you've never heard of before. Taka and Miaka's daughter, Hikari, gets sucked into the book, and starts off the new generation of mikos in the Shi Jin Ten Chi Sho. Rated pg-13 for later language from Ta
1. The Shi Jin Ten Chi Sho Appears

Disclaimer: As much as I wish I did, I don't own Fushigi Yuugi or any of the characters. Not even Hikari. She was created in the third OVA. *sob* It ALL belongs to Yuu Watase!  
  
"Mama," the girl said. "Mama, you have to continue the story! You always do."  
  
The mother laughed. "But I'm tired!" she whined. "Besides, since when have you called me 'Mama'? I know you, Hikari, you're a fifteen-year- old. Usually it's just Mother or 'Okaasan.'"  
  
"You ALWAYS say you're tired, Mother," the girl protested. "You're just being lazy!" The two of them smiled and laughed at each other. Most would be suspicious of such a healthy relationship between and teenage daughter and her mother, but Hikari and her mom were different. She looked up at the smiling face sitting on her bed. She looked so young compared to her friends' mothers, and she was. Only thirty-four. Hikari's parents had fallen in love early.  
  
"Fine! Fine! You win. But you're still in your uniform!! Ever heard of pajamas?" her mother said, adjusting the ponytail her auburn hair was in and grinning.  
  
"Mou.I will after you tell me more of the 'Shi Jin Ten Chi Sho'! It's only ten o clock, it's not like I go to sleep this early!"  
  
"Okay, okay! So.where have we left off. Ah, sou da. So the suzaku no miko's mine was set-"  
  
"Mom, I know you're the suzaku no miko. You don't have to talk in third person."  
  
"Hee hee hee. So my mind was set- I would go to war with the seishi. They risked their lives for me, and I felt it was my duty. And then.there was a bit of romance, but, um.oh yes! The next day I rode out on the back of Tamahome's horse with him and." her voice trailed off as they heard a shout from the next room.  
  
"Miaka! Miaka, come quick!" Hikari's father's voice shouted from the living room. Miaka jumped up from the foot of her daughter's bed and ran to the door.  
  
"Taka? Taka, what is it?" Miaka threw open the door, and Hikari saw a bright red light come from the hallway. Hikari jumped up and pushed past her mother.  
  
"No, Hikari get back! I'm serious!" Her father, just as young looking as her mother, had a worried look on his face. She had never seen anything like. Hikari was frozen to the spot.  
  
The three of them had lived a peaceful, normal life for as long as Hikari Sukunami could remember. They had a cozy apartment in a high rise in Tokyo and there was mostly no trouble. Her mother, Miaka, worked as a caterer and her father, Taka, was a teacher at a high school. Hikari herself was a smart girl and was working hard for her high school entrance exams. Although her mother always liked to cook way too much food, at least half of which she could consume herself, and her father was a bit finance-obsessed, they had raised Hikari to be a good kid. Nothing out of the ordinary had happened to them, but her mom would continue an on-going story every night for Hikari since she was six years old. It was about her mother when she was fifteen, and how she got sucked into a book and met a charming young man. She had believed it since the beginning, but teenage cynicism had started kicking in and Hikari had her doubts.  
  
But this red light was exactly how Hikari had pictured the red light of Suzaku from the story. And in the center of this light, a battered book was appearing. Forgetting all that was around her, including her father still yelling for her to stand back, Hikari felt as if the book called to her. Suddenly, she had to touch it for herself. Hikari felt like she was watching herself from a distance as her hands reached out and grabbed the mysterious book that had just appeared out of thin air. But as soon as she touched in, the cover flipped open and pages started turning wildly in an imaginary breeze. Hikari was pulled into the red light, and she turned around to see her parents with looks of terror on their faces, yelling and trying to pull her away. Her father was still reaching out to her as she saw her mother drop her arms and fall to her knees.  
  
"Hikari!" she screamed, tears streaming down her face. "Hikari! Just remember everything I told you about the Shi Jin Ten Chi Sho!!! Be careful! Please.!" with that, Miaka started shaking uncontrollably and crying harder.  
  
Hikari felt as if time had stood still as she floated through an area completely filled with the red light. She snapped back to reality, whatever reality was, and for the first time within the few minutes all of this had occurred, a feeling of nervousness made her stomach turn.  
  
Just then the red area was replaced with a bright blue sky and clouds. And Hikari was falling through it. She screamed and flailed her arms wildly, continuing to fall rapidly through the sky until she hit something very hard. A large tree branch. Leaves rustled everywhere and fell all around Hikari. Besides a few sharp pains that she knew were bumps in the branch, she felt fine. Until of course, the branch moved slightly from the impact and she fell the rest of the way down to the ground, shrieking once again.  
  
Hikari landed with an "Oof!" and grimaced as she smoothed down her skirt. She was still in her uniform. Damn, Hikari thought. If I had to come to a different world, I would have at least liked to wear something nicer than my seifuku. She sighed and stood up, starting to pick twigs from out of her hair. Just then she heard voices shouting in the distance.  
  
"We heard it coming from this direction!" a male voice shouted. "A girl's voice screaming!" Two men were running across the field towards Hikari. When they caught up, out of breath, they eyed her suspiciously. "Where are you coming from, young lady? Your clothes look foreign!"  
  
Hikari pouted. "Oh thanks. Your clothes don't really look normal either, you know," she retorted.  
  
"From where have you come?"  
  
".Um.the sky?"  
  
"Very funny."  
  
"God sent me?"  
  
"There's four of them."  
  
".Another world?"  
  
"She lies! She can't be from another world. Our suzaku no miko has already come!" the second man said to the first.  
  
"Suzaku.no.miko.?"  
  
"She is an enemy spy! Attack her!" the first man commanded. They raced towards her, growling.  
  
"Chotto! CHOTTO! Wait a second!!!" Hikari yelled, but they weren't going to stop. Evading their first few swings, Hikari rolled up her sleeves. "I'm not stupid, you two. I can throw a few punches myself." With that she hit one of the men in the stomach with her elbow and watched him roll to the ground. She felt the other man's hand clamp down on her shoulder from behind her, and she spun around, grabbing his arm and flipping him to the ground.  
  
"Stop it! STOP!" Another man's voice shouted in the distance. "Do NOT harm the girl!" the man yelled as he came closer. He slowed down as he got nearer to Hikari. "Don't hurt the.! ..Girl."  
  
"Ah, sorry about that," Hikari apologized to this new stranger, laughing nervously. "I didn't mean to knock them out, it's just that I was fearing for my safety. Don't arrest me! Please! IT WAS SELF DEFENSE!!"  
  
The man stared at Hikari in disbelief. "You.! You are." He paused as his eyes widened even more. "Miaka-chan?" 


	2. Finding Chichiri

Disclaimer: I don't own Fushigi Yuugi or anything to do with it. I don't own them, but I WILL take them and play with them!! *evil grin*  
  
Please enjoy chapter 2! -------------------------------  
  
Hikari groaned. "You don't know how much people say that to me. 'Oooh, Hikari! You look so much like your mother!'" The man's eyes widened.  
  
"You don't mean. . . you're Miaka-chan's daughter no da?"  
  
"I am, but don't be so familiar with her! Who are you?"  
  
"You really do look a lot like Mia- I mean, your mother, no da." And it was true. Although Hikari's school uniform was significantly different than the ones she had seen her mother wearing in pictures, Hikari looked very similar to Miaka. She had the same cute face and wavy auburn hair. Hikari even had the same bright green eyes. Her aunt Yui, not really an aunt rather than her mother's best friend, loved to tell Hikari that she looked exactly like her mother, but acted like her father.  
  
"Stop saying no da! Who ARE you?" Hikari demanded, getting more nervous by the second.  
  
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry! It's an old habit that's hard to get rid of," the man said. "I am Chichiri. I used to be one of the suzaku shichi seishi."  
  
Hikari stared in disbelief. She had heard all about Chichiri and the other shichi seishi from her mother. "No you're not!"  
  
"Y-yes I am, no da!" the man protested.  
  
"Then why do you look so young? You should be really old by now!" Hikari shot back. "And you have both eyes. And no mask. And you don't look like a monk!"  
  
"Please calm down! I can explain this to you. Why don't we walk back towards the village?" the man was still smiling, even after Hikari had tried to get him to stop his lies. He started walking slowly back in the direction he came, and Hikari reluctantly followed. The man who called himself Chichiri began to speak again. "Taitsu-kun allowed all the suzaku seishi who died to choose what they would be reborn as. I lived for a while after Miaka-chan went back to her world, but we all die eventually. The Suzaku no Miko returned to her world a very long time ago. My old self, the original Chichiri, died of old age."  
  
"How do you know all this?" Hikari asked.  
  
"I paid a visit to Taitsu-kun and she gave me back my old memories. The others too, partially, but I have all of mine. Even though I am a different person now, I was her disciple; I guess she favors me! " Chichiri said with a laugh. Hikari stopped walking.  
  
"But you still could be lying. How can you prove it to me?"  
  
Chichiri sighed. "You may look like your mother, but your personality is certainly very different. You almost remind me of. . . I'll tell you what. I'll show you the mark of Suzaku. Here, try to hit me." He figured that since she was as small as Miaka, this girl had to be basically of the same strength. Hikari grinned. She took a running start, and before Chichiri could block it, gave him a punch in the stomach. The man fell over, the wind knocked out of him, but quickly lifted up one pants leg to show her the glowing red mark on his knee. "See?" he said with some difficulty, trying to get the air back into his lungs.  
  
Hikari nodded. "You're a lot stronger than I expected," Chichiri said to her. "Miaka wasn't very good at throwing punches."  
  
"You under-estimated me! My dad has always been teaching me martial arts skills, ever since I was little. He used to tell me that I could have hidden powers," she said, trailing off. She was embarrassed, knowing she said something silly and was already confiding too much in this unfamiliar man. "But that was only when I was younger. I'm sure it was just for motivation. I didn't really mean that, you know."  
  
"Well, if you're Tamahome's daughter, you might. Your personality seems to be a lot like his. I don't even want to know what you'll do when you see money," he muttered under his breath. "You are Tamahome's daughter, aren't you?"  
  
Hikari shook her head, and Chichiri suddenly looked very sad. "Nope! I'm Taka Sukunami's daughter. Hikari Sukunami."  
  
"Oh, good! Then you are his daughter. You scared me for a second, I was worried Miaka and Tamahome were no longer together."  
  
"But. . . Chichiri, I don't understand. I'm not Tamahome's daughter, right? He's from this world."  
  
"Taka and Tamahome are the same person, Hikari."  
  
"NANI?!?!?!?!!? Then you mean that my dad's the warrior from the story mom's been telling me about? But I thought that- she never mentioned that- MOM! YOU DIDN'T FINISH THAT STORY! I THOUGHT YOU COULDN'T BE TOGETHER WITH TAMAHOME!! Otousan! YOU NEVER TOLD ME YOU WERE TAMAHOME!" Hikari was stomping her feet in frustration and shouting at the sky. "Oh, if you could hear me, you two, I'd absolutely murder you!"  
  
----------------------------  
Meanwhile, Taka and Miaka were bent over the book, reading to see if their daughter was alright. "Oh, thank Suzaku she's okay. And she found Chichiri of all people!" Taka said, feeling very relieved. "I swear, Hikari just took about ten years off of my life."  
  
Miaka snapped her head up and she heard a faint voice yelling to her. ". . . Mom! You didn't finish that story!"  
  
"Hikari?" Miaka yelled into the air. "Hikari is that you??"  
  
Back in the Universe of the Four Gods, Hikari stood still in shock as she heard her mother's voice reply. "Okaasan! You can hear me?"  
  
"I think we're connected by something!" Miaka replied. "Eto. . . Ah! Do you still have that hairband I lent you this morning around your wrist? You ran out, so I gave you one of mine. And I'm wearing an identical one!"  
  
Hikari pulled back one of the sleeves of her shirt, and there was a small black elastic around her wrist. "You know, you're right."  
  
"Oh, thank Suzaku. Hikari, be careful! Please don't do anything reckless, okay? There's so much I should say to you now, but I'm drawing a blank! Argh, this always happens!" Miaka was puffing her cheeks in frustration, and Taka remarked to himself that she looked like she did when they first met.  
  
In the Shi Jin Ten Chi Sho, Hikari seemed to be talking loudly to herself. "Ano. . .Hikari?" Chichiri asked nervously. "Are you okay?"  
  
"I'm fine!" Hikari said, smiling. She was overjoyed to hear from her mother; it took quite a burden off her shoulders. Hikari turned her head back to the sky. "Ano, okaasan, I'm getting strange looks. I'll try and contact you later. I love you! Tell dad I said I love him too!" And with that, Hikari took the hairband off her wrist and shoved it in her pocket. "So where are we going, Chichiri?"  
  
They had walked into the village a minute ago, and now Hikari was following the man past houses. "To my home. There's something I need to get before we go, and you're kind of scratched up."  
"Go? Go where? Where are we going, Chichiri?" but the man didn't reply as he stepped in a doorway.  
  
"Tadaima!" He called happily. Hikari's eyes widened as a pretty young woman ran out to greet them.  
  
"Okaeri! Oh, what have we got here?" the woman said, turning her smiling eyes onto Hikari.  
  
"This is Hikari. She's a girl from the other world." Hikari stared at the two with a blank look on her face until she remembered her manners and bowed politely.  
  
"Nice to meet you, I'm Hikari." The woman bowed back, still smiling.  
  
"The pleasure is mine. I'm Kouran."  
  
"NANI?!?! Honto ni?" Hikari was bouncing up and down, and turning to Chichiri.  
  
The man grinned. "We got together in the end, in this life, no da." He laughed nervously. Hikari smiled to herself. She could already tell when Chichiri had an awkward moment, he would always slip up and say no da. Chichiri turned back to Kouran. "Kouran, you know about my destiny, and the seishi mark. Now is the time for me to become Chichiri."  
  
Kouran nodded. "I understand. I've known you'd have to leave someday. Should I be addressing you as Chichiri now?" Chichiri, with a relieved expression on his face, nodded back at his wife. Kouran turned to Hikari. "You seem a bit scratched up. Why don't you spend the night before you leave? I can mend your clothes, even though they are quite unusual, and you can have supper with us."  
  
Hikari had to restrain herself from drooling. Her entire family all had an extreme liking for Chinese food. "Hai! That sounds good. Arigato, Kouran-san."  
  
---------------------------  
  
About an hour and a half later, Hikari was well fed and dressed in odd looking ancient Chinese clothing. She stepped out of the house and looked around from the doorway. She had some time to kill before she would sleep and prepare for this mysterious "journey" that no one would explain to her.  
  
The village was larger than she had expected. Rather than being a small cluster of houses like it had appeared from the outskirts, it seemed to be more of a town. There were streets winding around the houses with lots of people walking past and into other houses, which could have possibly been stores. Hikari tentatively walked down the street she had stepped onto, and wandered aimlessly past the people. Although she was dressed in clothes similar to theirs, she still was stared at. People looked at her and whispered to one another. Hikari was curious as to what they were saying, and strained her ears.  
  
"She's the one who is to be the new priestess?" one woman hissed to a man beside her. "Doesn't look very bright to me. Look at her, she has this blank expression on her face!" Hikari caught herself looking dumbstruck. It was only because she didn't understand why these people hated her, but she did know that she had a tendency to look a little stupid when she spaced out.  
  
"It worries me that this is who Suzaku brought into our world," the man replied, frowning. "Maybe this time they'll manage not to kill our emperor. Hmph." With that the two turned and continued to walk. Hikari had heard enough to confuse her, though. She turned around and ran back into Chichiri and Kouran's house, where she saw Kouran at the doorway.  
  
"Oh, there you are!" Kouran said, smiling. "I was wondering where you went. I have a bed ready for you, it's just back here." The pretty woman turned and started to lead Hikari into another room. Hikari followed, and decided that she would be eternally grateful that there were people as nice as Kouran in the Shi Jin Ten Chi Sho. On the soft futon, Hikari fell asleep that night feeling distraught.  
  
-------------------  
  
The next morning, she woke up at dawn and wandered into the main room, where she found Kouran and Chichiri smiling lovingly at each other but having an apparently serious conversation. Hikari tried to suppress a smile. She hadn't known these people for very long, but from her mother's stories and description of the Suzaku seishi Chichiri, she felt as if she had known him longer, and was glad to see him happy like that.  
  
"Ah, Hikari!" Chichiri said, getting up. He handed her her mended uniform, folded in a neat little pile. "We should be leaving soon."  
  
Soon after, Hikari was once again happily fed and dressed in her gray and red uniform. She bowed to Kouran and thanked her over and over again. Chichiri, looking a bit more like a monk this time, was next to her, but looking a bit more serious. Suddenly, all the goodbyes were done, and the two had walked to the outskirts of the village.  
  
"Ano, Chichiri," Hikari started. "You said we were going on a journey or something, but. . . what is the journey?"  
  
"To find the other reborn seishi," he stated.  
  
"Ah, sou. And where are we going?"  
  
"To Mt. Reikaku."  
  
------------------------ Hi guys! I hope you liked this chapter. I dunno if many people have been reading this, but.if you are, please review! I'm working at a goal of getting one chapter out per week, but knowing me it'll never be on an exact schedule. I really wanted to make the reborn Chichiri married to Kouran, because the real Chichiri had such a sad past, and I always felt bad for him *huggles Chichiri*. Next chapter, you can probably guess who we're going to find! *grin grin* Oh, some of the Japanese vocabulary I used. Arigato means thank you, as you probably know, and "sou," or "Sou desu ka" means something like "I see." "Honto ni" means "Really" or "truly." 


	3. Finding Tasuki

Disclaimer: If I owned Fushigi Yuugi, would I be writing fanfiction? No. So obviously, I don't own it or anything associated with it. I do own the random nameless drunken bandit though! No, I don't. And I don't think I want to either. ^^;;;  
  
Enjoy chapter 3!  
  
-------------------------  
  
Hikari and Chichiri had been walking the entire day, almost never stopping. She felt as if she was going to die of boredom. Counting trees hadn't worked. Neither had counting sheep in her head. She had quizzed herself on all the kanji she knew twice, and she had run out of songs to sing to herself. Hikari looked ahead and saw that Chichiri was already far ahead of her. She let her legs give out and plopped onto the ground. Chichiri turned around.  
  
"Hikari, what are you doing?" he called.  
  
"Aaaaah, I can't walk anymore! You're like this walking robot! Why can't we stop to rest? Are we almost theeeeeeeere?" she whined. She felt like a small child in the backseat of a car. "Are we there yet? Are we? Hmm?"  
  
Chichiri was patiently walking back towards her, with a knowing expression on his face. "We'll get there by nightfall. I want to spend the night there, it'll be better than camping out." He paused for a minute. "Well, if I'm overprotective of you it'll be better than camping out. Come on, Hikari-chan," he said, extending his hand.  
  
Hikari shook her head. "No way. I want to rest. I'm so tired! I always fail my endurance tests in gym, I never thought I'd need it!" Chichiri sighed and picked her up, slinging her over his shoulder.  
  
"In ten minutes you're walking again."  
  
"But. . . I. . .put me down! And stop smirking. Aah, you're meaner than you look!"  
  
"I've had experience with complaining travelers before. Of course, he was much heavier than you were, so you're easy to deal with," Chichiri said, grinning. Hikari puffed out her cheeks, pouting.  
  
-------------------  
  
It was dusk, and the two were still walking. They had been silent for quite some time now, both happy to be lost in their thoughts. The sun was almost completely set when Hikari noticed that farther up the mountain they had been walking on was a large house-like thing.  
  
"Ne, Chichiri," Hikari said. "What's that?"  
  
"It's where Tasuki lives."  
  
"Really? Mount Reikaku sounds familiar, but why does he live on a mountain?"  
  
"He's a bandit," Chichiri replied, calmly knocking on the door.  
  
"N-NANI?!?" Hikari said, her eyes widening. She had just recalled the adventures from her mother's story of Mt. Reikaku, but Hikari decided against saying anything more to Chichiri when a staggering, unshaven man opened the door. He stood for a minute surveying the guests, and then grinning.  
  
"Yo, 'Chiri!" the man slurred. "Y'aven't been 'ere for a while! Eh, what's this? Y'brought us a present! How nice of yoooou. There'salotta guys who'll be real happy to see her." He nodded in Hikari's direction.  
  
"No, she's not a present. Try to contain yourself in front of her, she's very young."  
  
"Aright. I'mmonna hafta take you to see th'boss. He's too old t'move much anymore."  
  
"No, just take us to Tasuki please."  
  
"Nope, hafta take y'to Kouji first."  
  
"No, it's alright if you just take us to Tasuki."  
  
"Kouji. . ."  
  
"Tasuki."  
  
"Eh, can I pet the chick?"  
  
"No," Chichiri said, still acting very patiently. He pulled on Hikari's arm, bringing her closer to him.  
  
"Just a pat on th'head! She's so cute, she's lika lil' kitten!"  
  
"No, we're going to see Tasuki." Hikari was now hiding behind Chichiri and clinging to him with a frightened look on her face. She would have been angry if the man wasn't scary looking and staggering towards her with his arm outstretched. Chichiri took hold of her arm again and marched briskly past the man and through the doorway.  
  
The inside of the bandits' hideaway was noisy and messy. Hikari could barely hear herself think over all the shouting and laughing and clinking of glasses and things. The two of them walked through a large hall filled with rowdy men everywhere- on chairs, on the floor, slumped against the wall, fighting. As they passed, though, most of the men stopped to stare. Apparently it wasn't very often a man with a monk's staff and a small, cute looking girl passed through their drinking games at night. Soon enough Chichiri and Hikari had passed the hall and came across a large door. Chichiri knocked, and they heard someone wheeze on the other side.  
  
"Hello? Yes, who is it? It's two visitors for the glorious bandit leader Kouji! Oh, really? Why yes! Who is it? Two visitors for the glorious bandit leader Kouji! Is that so? Who is it? Two visitors for the glorious."  
  
"AH, SHUT UP ALREADY, KOUJI!" another voice yelled from inside. The door swung open violently, and Hikari jumped back. A young man leaned against the door frame, grinning. Hikari noticed that he had fangs, and was staring curiously at them when the man bent down and stuck his face in front of hers. "What're you lookin' at?" he grumbled, eyeing her. He straightened up again and went up to Chichiri, grinning once again. "OY, CHIRI! Long time no see, eh? Sorry about Kouji, he's gettin' really senile now. How old are you now, Kouji? Seventy? Eighty?"  
  
"Eh?" the first voice called from inside the room.  
  
"How old are ya?"  
  
"EH?"  
  
"HOW. OLD. ARE. YOU. KOUJI."  
  
"I'm as young as ever!"  
  
The man clamped his hands over his bright orange hair, which flattened for a moment and then stuck up again, and groaned. "Anyways, just come in."  
  
A very gray-haired, wrinkled old man was sitting in a large chair at a table inside the room. When he saw the visitors come in, he grinned and straightened up. "Ah, it's you again! Genrou's monk-like friend! Eh, what's your name, what's your name.Kiri!"  
  
Chichiri sighed softly and shifted his weight to one foot as Kouji continued. "Kiri? No, that's not it. . .let's see, Kiri? Kiri-kiri? Kiri-kabu?" Hikari snickered as the old man continued. "Hiri? Miri? Mirin? Oooh, mirin, I could go for some sake. GENROU! MORE SAKE, RIGHT? YOU'RE NOT AS DRUNK AS USUAL TONIGHT! YOU!" he pointed to the third and only other bandit in the room. "GET US SOME SAKE! I bet the lady'd like some!" Hikari was laughing harder by now, and the bandit took that as a yes, grinning and running out of the room.  
  
"That's Chichiri, stupid," the orange-haired man said, crossing his arms. "Last time he was here was two months ago, can't expect you to remember him. Senile bastard. Which reminds me, Chichiri, why are you here? An' who's the chick?"  
  
"Tasuki, we're here on important business. You're not drunk are you?" the man shook his head. "This is Hikari. Hikari, what's your surname?"  
  
"Hikari Sukunami." She stood still for a moment, then took a sip from the cup in her hands, draining it. "AH! You're Tasuki? Wow, you look exactly like the description. Were you reincarnated?"  
  
"Reincarnated as myself. Hey, yer blushin'! Oi, 'Chiri, I think she likes me, she's bright red!"  
  
"N-no!" Hikari stuttered, dropping the cup in her hands. It clattered to the floor; luckily it wasn't glass. "I just, um, like the sake, and. . ."  
  
Chichiri jumped and the bandit, apparently Tasuki, was grinning like a maniac. Chichiri looked worried. "Hikari-chan! You shouldn't be drinking! Especially not now, and not at a bandit hideaway! I don't think Miaka-chan would be very happy if she found out you were having sake so young."  
  
"Oh, but mom never lets me drink, even with dinner. She never ever drinks herself, she has this big problem with it."  
  
"She never drinks?" Tasuki suddenly had a very serious look on his face. "Yer mom, do you look like her? Cause you look exactly like Mia-"  
  
"Argh, everyone says that to me! Yes, Miaka is my mother. Yes, I know I look like her."  
  
"She never drank again. . . after that incident. . ." Tasuki looked distraught. "Alright, let's get down to business. This Miaka twin, what's her name?"  
  
"Hikari."  
  
"Hikari is the new priestess, isn't she."  
  
Chichiri looked serious as well. "I believe she is." He sat himself down in a chair. Tasuki did the same, as well as Hikari (although with some difficulty, due to her low alcohol tolerance). "We should gather all the reborn seishi. I think I remember where two of the others are, but after that. . ." Chichiri trailed off. "If you'll come with us, we'd like to continue as quickly as possible."  
  
"Yeah, I'll come," Tasuki said, propping his head on his hand.  
  
"Although I was wondering, especially now that Hikari-chan is a bit drunk, would it be possible to spend the night here?"  
  
"Of course! We'd love to have ya, you know that!"  
  
"Without being harassed by other bandits?"  
  
"Oh. Um. Oh! I have that secret hideout that only me an' Kouji know about. But Kouji will never remember where it is. In fact, he'll never miss us. He's won't remember that I'm gone, and he won't remember that you visited, 'Chiri. He won't remember that you exist," he said, nodding at Hikari.  
  
"Oh, thanks," Hikari said weakly, lifting her head from where it was resting on her arms on the table. They watched her plop it back down and shut her eyes, her mouth open slightly. Her breathing slowed, and she fell asleep.  
  
"She's asleep? It was only one drink!" Chichiri said.  
  
"No, it was more like two or three. Ya really need to keep more of an eye on that girl," Tasuki said. "Beh, I'm here, so ya don' have to worry that much anymore. Wow! She's out like a light!" he remarked, poking the sleeping girl. Tasuki observed her for another moment and sighed, shrugging. He picked her up out of the chair and headed for the door. "Can ya catch up with me? If I run, the bandits won't see that she's here and they'll leave us alone." He looked at Hikari, slung over his shoulder, and smiled a small, one-fanged smile, then started to run. Chichiri gave him, or the space he was just standing in, a look and started to run after him. 'Since when was Tasuki this nice?'  
  
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Hikari opened her eyes and found that she was sleeping on a futon on the floor, some distance away from one or two other futons. There was a candle near the others, and she heard low rumblings that were mumbles coming from them. She quietly sat up and winced, ignoring her newly acquired headache.  
  
"You're being unusually nice, no da," a whispering Chichiri remarked.  
  
"Not really," a gruff voice replied. Hikari remembered about Tasuki. "She looks exactly like Miaka, but acts just like Tama is all. It's like a very small, vulnerable Tama has showed up. A chibi obake-chan!" he said with a laugh. "We were close, me an' him, and I still owe him for some things, from what the old memories tell me. I might as well look out for his kid, right?" There was a pause, then Tasuki continued. "She really is like a mix of the two, and then some, isn't she. Hey, what does she do when she sees money?"  
  
"I'm not sure, she hasn't really seen any yet," Chichiri said.  
  
"Oi," Tasuki said a little louder. "I know you're awake, chibi." Hikari puffed her cheeks out at being called a chibi, then widened her eyes and threw the covers over her head.  
  
"I'm asleep! Or, I was, until you woke me up!" She heard someone rustle around and then a clinking sound as something was chucked towards her. Hikari peeked her head out from under the blanket and saw something round and shiny glinting in the candlelight. It flashed gold, and she recognized it as some form of a coin. Before she could stop herself, she squealed and stuck her arm out, grabbing the coin, and then hid under the blanket again. She heard both men burst out laughing very loudly and she felt her cheeks flame. She lifted the covers to give them a look with one eye, then drifted off into sleep again to the continual snickers of the two men.  
  
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Hey guys! I hope you liked the chapter. Most of it was me making weird jokes about drunk bandits, Hikari, and a very old and senile Kouji, but I'm still proud of it anyways. Ah, to explain the thing with Kouji's name game thing. Hikari was snickering because in Japanese, "Kiri" means fog, or sometimes means a hole-punch. "Kiri-kabu" means a tree stumb. Mirin is a sweet wine used for cooking, and of course wine reminded Kouji of sake, which is why he started yelling about sake. I think chapter four will come sooner than later, like this chapter, but I probably just jinxed it. *sigh* If you like this story so far, please PLEASE leave a review! I feel like nobody's reading this! Then again, most likely it's true that nobody's reading this. Look for some major loving for a neglected seishi in the next chapter! 


	4. Finding Chiriko

Disclaimer: I still don't own Fushigi Yuugi or anything that goes with it. I'm just playin' around. ^____^ Please enjoy chapter 4! Ack! Sorry this is quite a bit late! I know not many people are reading this, but for anyone who is. . . I broke my promise of once a week. ^^; Oh well.  
  
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Chichiri had a massive headache, and he knew that it wouldn't be going away for a long time. He now was walking across the countryside with two complainers, and they weren't going to stop whining until a) they reached an inn with alcohol and/or women or b) They stopped to sit. It hadn't even been two days, and already Tasuki and Hikari were acting like brother and sister, or rather like the old Tasuki and Tamahome.  
  
"Oi, 'Chiri. Can't we just stop for a while? You still have that kesa of yours! We could just teleport to an inn! One, two three, we're there!"  
  
"Yeah, Chichiri, you didn't tell me you could teleport. You're hiding things from me! I bet you could make us fly too, could we fly the rest of the way? Please?"  
  
" 'Chiri! You're so cold hearted, just let us teleport! We've been walking for so long! I think Hikari might faint! Right Hikari? Are ya feelin' weak?"  
  
"CHICHIRI! I can't deal with this guy anymore! We don't get along! Make him leave me alone, PLEASE. ...And I am feeling a bit weak, maybe we could just leave Tasuki behind and..."  
  
"You two are getting along just fine," Chichiri replied, exasperated. There was no response. He turned around to find Hikari stomping on Tasuki's foot and Tasuki using her head as an armrest. "You two! Get a move on, we're going so slowly! If you hurry now, we could reach the village in an hour." They stopped what they were doing and perked up. "But if you don't, we'll have to camp out again..." He saw Tasuki use his seishi-speed to whiz past him. "A left, Tasuki, take a left."  
  
With Hikari marching alongside Chichiri and Tasuki a little ways ahead, the three of them reached the stone steps of a rather large house in a rather large village quickly. They ascended the steps and knocked on a big wooden front door.  
  
"Hey," Tasuki mumbled. "I feel like I've been here before, but I can't put my finger on it. Chichiri, have we been here before?"  
  
"In the past, yes. I didn't expect you to remember it that much," Chichiri replied. Just then a plump, aging woman answered the door.  
  
"Yes? Can I help you?"  
  
"YES MA'AM," Tasuki said loudly, stepping up to be a little closer, leaning in and squinting one eye in an interrogating way. "Do you have any Suzaku seishi in your house at the moment?"  
  
Hikari stomped on his foot for what wasn't the first time that day. "Yes of course, they have them over for tea every afternoon!" She rolled her eyes. "Honto ni baka. Don't you have any manners?"  
  
Chichiri interrupted the two and spoke to the woman. "We are Chichiri and Tasuki of the Suzaku seishi, along with our new priestess, and we're trying to gather our warriors. Perhaps you may remember several years ago when we visited in our past lives? This is the home of Chiriko, is it not?"  
  
"Chiriko...? It sounds familiar, but....ah! Recently my son has been insisting on being called Chiriko. He said the stars told him to expect important visitors soon."  
  
"That's our man! I mean, boy!" Tasuki said, turning to grin at Chichiri.  
  
"He is a child," the lady said, "But he's very bright. I wouldn't doubt him for a minute. He was planning to take the civil service test as soon as he turned seventeen."  
  
"Oh, so he hasn't taken the test yet? Last time he took it when he was thirteen," Chichiri said.  
  
"Oh no, he said he had a bit more studying to do. He must be in his room now, I'll take you up to him." The three followed the woman up a narrow flight of stairs and down a dusty hallway until they reached a door, where she knocked.  
  
"A- I mean, Chiriko? There are some people here to see you!" There was no response. "Chiriko? Are you in there?" The woman knocked a little louder several more times. This time they heard the abrupt scraping of a chair and then a heavy sounding thump, followed by two or three more softer but still heavy thumps. There was an "Ow!" and then,  
  
"O-okaasan? People? Oh, of course! Let them in! J-just a moment please!"  
  
The woman smiled at the three guests and opened the door, revealing a very cluttered room. Books and scrolls lined the walls and were piled on every piece of furniture available. Papers were strewn all about the floor. The only place that was not covered in some sort of studying material was a large bay window slightly to the right of the center of the room. There had once been a chair positioned in front of it, but this chair was now tipped over on the floor. Sprawled on the chair in an awkward position, with a book half covering his head and papers all about him, was a young man. Hikari, Chichiri, and Tasuki stared in disbelief.  
  
The young man looked up at the doorway, then turned red and removed the book from where it had fallen on his head. He scrambled around in the sea of papers to sit up but failed, slipping.  
  
"Are you Chiriko?" Hikari asked nervously. The two seishi looked at her and saw that her eyes were wide and she was blushing slightly. It was obvious that Hikari was flustered at having surprised the boy. But the young man nodded in answer to her question.  
  
"NO WAY!" Tasuki shouted. "Chiriko was like, this high!" He gestured with his hand to a space just below his hip.  
  
"Uh. . ." the boy said. "I was thirteen at the time of the first summoning. I'm sixteen this time." He met eyes with Chichiri, who was looking this teenager over thoroughly. The boy who claimed to be Chiriko stood up, knowing he was being inspected. He was significantly taller than his former self, and was the height of an average teenage boy. Rather than the ponytail that used to stick straight up, his dark blonde hair was short and looked as if it had been randomly cut at with a knife when it got in his face. He no longer wore the oversized robes his former self used to wear, instead he was wearing clothes that were more similar to what the other seishi used to wear. He turned red as the three people stared at him. "I was expecting you. I just got lost in a train of thought and you surprised me." He laughed nervously as he tried to explain why he had fallen backwards in his chair.  
  
Still a little shy, Hikari walked up to Chiriko and bowed. "It's nice to meet you. I hope we can be good friends." He bowed back, both of them appearing like the very awkward teenagers they were.  
  
They all stood and looked around awkwardly, both Chichiri and Tasuki being caught off guard by Chiriko's maturity. "Uh," Chichiri started. "Let's go no da, shall we?"  
  
"Ah, Chichiri, you're doing that no da thing again!" Hikari said in an attempt to break the silence as well. Chiriko's mother still stood in the doorway, looking confused. Hikari looked at her guility, and spoke. "Ano. . . we'll try to come visit soon. Chiriko won't be away too long, I don't think." The seishi and Hikari filed out the door, bowing politely to the woman, who looked a bit sad.  
  
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It was nighttime, and refusing the woman's offer to spend the night, the three seishi and Hikari found themselves settling down around a fire in the middle of a random forest. Chiriko was discussing something quietly with Chichiri, who was trying very hard to ignore the death glares coming from Hikari and Tasuki.  
  
"Ne, Tasuki," Hikari muttered under her breath, leaning in towards Tasuki. "He's making us sleep in the wild again."  
  
Tasuki nodded seriously in agreement. "How shall we kill him?"  
  
"We could shoot him."  
  
"What?"  
  
"We could tie him up."  
  
"And dangle 'im from a tree!"  
  
"Upside-down!" The two of them cackled evilly and the other two seishi gave them odd looks.  
  
"Or, ya know, I could just burn him to a crisp with my tessen!" Tasuki said proudly.  
  
"You're tessen? You mean the fan that spits fire? You still have that?!?!"  
  
"Course I do! Where'd ya think I'd put it?"  
  
"Well, it was from your past life and. . . Wow, you really are exactly the same!" Suddenly Hikari's eyes lit up and she grinned, clinging to his arm. Tasuki raised his eyebrow. "Ne ne, Tasuki-ku-u-u-n," she said sweetly. "Can you show me? Please please? Make fire come out of the tessen!"  
  
Tasuki, always the sucker for flattery, especially from a Miaka look alike, grinned and whipped out the fan from behind his back. He stood up and raised it above his head, then whipped it down yelling, "REKKA SHIN'EN!" Flames shot out in the direction of the other two seishi. They both fell backwards, avoiding the flame, which unceremoniously hit a tree. Chichiri and Chiriko sat back up. Chichiri looked half exasperated half amused, but Chiriko looked flustered, as he had earlier that day.  
  
"Ano, Tasuki-san, please don't hurt me with your tessen!" he said nervously.  
  
Tasuki, sitting back down, looking quite pleased with himself, waved a hand, avoiding Chiriko's point completely.  
  
Chichiri stood up and walked calmly over towards Tasuki, only to kick him. Hikari, in a much less shy mood, crawled her way around the campfire towards Chiriko. He looked at her nervously. "Hi!" She said.  
  
"Hello," He said back quietly. "I hope you'll excuse my rudeness earlier, and maybe even now as well. It's just that I, um, am not very good with people."  
  
"Eh? Oh that's okay!" Hikari said, patting him on the back. "You've been studying right? What kind of things do you study for a civil service exam?"  
  
Chiriko looked down. "Well, there's mathmatics, and astronomy, and the sciences, and formulas that go with those things, and all the kanji characters in the language. . ." As he continued, Hikari started to look ill. "Hikari-san? Are you alright?"  
"Uh, yeah," Hikari said, laughing awkwardly. "I mean, god, I thought I had it tough with my exams and stuff. But ALL the kanji? Urgh."  
  
"You have exams too in the other world? What do you study for them, Hikari-san?"  
  
"Hmm, there's math, like you said. But now it's crap like quadratics and geometry and trig and algebra and calculus, but that's after pre-calc. And for the sciences we have sooooo many of them. And then there's Japanese, we have to learn kanji too! And English class, god I hate that, I'm so bad at it, and history. We don't really have any exams for P.E., but I'm crap at that too. They make me stay afterschool sometimes to make up for it. So WHAT if I can't play volleyball? I can do karate just fine! Oh, and I'm rambling, sorry."  
  
"No no, you're world sounds so interesting! What do you mean afterschool? Where do you go to study these things?" Chiriko was smiling now, not looking nervous at all.  
  
"School. It's this big place where people around my age, give or take a few years, and study."  
  
"Amazing! What opportunities you have there!"  
  
". . .You could put it that way," she said, looking away. He smiled at her.  
  
"Hikari-san, do you know where we're going next?"  
  
"Ah, no. Where?"  
  
"No idea. I was dicussing that with Chichiri, I think he knows." They looked in the direction of Chichiri, except he was a little busy. Tasuki was yelling something, leaning away from Chichiri and looking defensive. Chichiri was calmly giving him a look, obviously having the upper hand in their discussion. They watched for a few minutes as Chichiri took away his tessen, and Tasuki looked about ready to cry, reaching to get it back, only to be pushed away by Chichiri. Chiriko and Hikari looked at each other and laughed.  
  
"Bit busy, isn't he."  
  
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Yay! Sorry that chapter ended kind of. . .blandly. But I wanted some Tasuki Chichiri banter, and I had to bring Chiriko out of his shell at least a LITTLE bit! ^____^  
  
If you like this story so far, please review!! Hopefully I'll get some more chapters done over the vacation.  
  
Ja ne! 


	5. A Peaceful Village

Disclaimer: I don't own Fushigi Yuugi, blah blah blah, I sold my soul, blah blah. . .  
  
Hi guys. I'm writing the fifth chapter now. As you can see. Because of certain threats from certain people (Hi Caitlin). So I guess this means that Chapter Five, A "Peaceful" Village, is dedicated to my dear little Kei- chan (do that again and I'll pull the "lump" from the pile of leaves like in our little story). Hey, it's actual ironic that this chapter of all chapters is dedicated to the one making death threats. . .Okay, done with the inside jokes.  
  
Note: I know that in the Shi Jin Ten Chi Sho, they probably didn't know that it was called dehydration, but obviously they knew that people need water. So they're calling it dehydration.  
  
Enjoy chapter five!!  
  
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The sun had just risen to a blue sky dotted with clouds. Trees were rustling, the grass was green, birds were chirping. Baby animals popped their heads round from behind tree trunks, and wild flowers were urging to be picked by a small child. The three seishi and their new priestess, however, had started off the morning with the now traditional complaint directed towards Chichiri.  
  
"Oi. 'Chiri," Tasuki said sleepily. "We have no water." They had stopped at a stream the previous day to fill up on their supply of water, but it was already gone, and there was no more water in sight. Tasuki looked behind him at Hikari for backup, but she looked as if she was sleep walking. "Oi, Hikari."  
  
"It's dawn. What do you want, Mister I'm-Going-To-Wail-Through-The- Long-Hours-of-the-Night-Until-I-Get-My-Fan-Back."  
  
"Nothing. Nevermind."  
  
"But Chichiri-san," Chiriko said quietly. "I believe that Tasuki-san is right. We have no water, and we have just been sleeping for several hours, which means that our body is already a little dehydrated. Going any longer without water would not be a smart idea." Chiriko continued to talk about dehydration, and Hikari moaned. "Hikari-san?"  
  
"When are we going to get to the next village?" She still had a look on her face that made her appear to be either dead or still sleeping.  
  
"It's about a half a mile straight ahead," Chichiri mumbled, a bit tired himself. He wondered if he needed water. "We'll be there so-. . .Hikari-chan?" Hikari had run past him, squealing.  
  
"Almost there, almost there!" she said. Chichiri opened his mouth to stop her, but it was too late- Hikari had already disappeared through the trees. The seishi looked at each other and started to run after her.  
  
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Hikari had reached the village quickly, but as soon as she got there, she realized she had made a big mistake. She had no idea who they were looking for, and she didn't know where she could find water. She was a girl from another world wearing a Japanese school uniform, standing in the middle of an ancient Chinese village. People were staring and whispering to each other, as Hikari turned circles stupidly, looking at her surroundings. Suddenly a man approached her.  
  
"Are you looking for something, miss?" he asked. Hikari looked up and nodded her head vigorously. The man smiled. "Can I help you with anything?"  
  
"Um, yes! If you don't mind," she said. "I was wondering if this village had any of the Suzaku seishi in it." Hikari realized her mistake as soon as she spoke the words- she sounded like Tasuki had the other day. She cringled and mentally scolded herself. Laughing nervously, she said, "But first, I'd actually like some water, please."  
  
The man looked at her for a moment, then nodded. "Of course I can help. Come with me." Hikari followed the man down a path that winded around some houses. The area seemed fairly normal, until she noticed that there were less and less people around. Suddenly they were in an area where there were none. Hikari's eyes widened. 'Of course!' she thought to herself. 'How stupid could I get. It's just like in the story! This happened to okaa-san all the time. Oh god, what if I get. . .? No, the others will find me soon. But what if they don't?!?!'  
  
Her thoughts were interrupted when the man grabbed the sailor collar of her shirt. She grabbed at it, trying to make room for her throat so that she wouldn't be strangled. He glared at her. "Now you listen," he growled. "I don't know who the hell you think you are, but we're not stupid around here. The Suzaku Shichi Seishi and their priestess appeared many many years ago, and no one's going to fall for your stupid tricks, you cunning bitch."  
  
"No! You've made a mistake, it's more complicated than that!" Hikari desperately tried to explain, but the guy would hear none of it.  
  
"We don't want any trouble here. We're a peaceful village, you hear me? I'll make sure you and all the other tricksters like you don't come around here anymore!" He shook her a bit. Hikari mentally scolded herself once again. If only she wasn't so tired, she wouldn't have this problem. Her father would be so disappointed if he saw her now, she thought. All that martial arts training for nothing. Hikari couldn't even defend herself against a scrawny man who was grabbing the large floppy collar of her shirt. The man was still shaking her, tightening his grip, and she cried out, trying hard to breathe.  
  
"DROP THE FUCKING KID!" an angry voice shouted from behind them. The man swung around, dragging Hikari with him. It was Tasuki, with Chichiri by his side. Both looked poised and ready for a fight with this guy. Chiriko, looking nervous but contemplative, was standing a few feet behind the other two and to the left.  
  
"Oh, are you with this girl?" the man said mockingly. "Is she your 'priestess'?" Tasuki nodded stupidly. "That's some trick you all are trying to play. Of all the things you could do, this has to be one of the most disrespectful!" The man, in a fit of rage, dropped the struggling Hikari against the wall of a house and headed for the three seishi.  
  
Tasuki whipped out his tessen and Chichiri readied his staff as the man ran towards the two of them first. Glaring at Chichiri, he said, "You are no monk. Why the hell do you have a staff?" Chichiri grimaced, trying not to get angry, and swung the staff. The man stumbled sideways into Tasuki's path. Tasuki swung his tessen upwards and opened his mouth, ready to say the chant.  
  
"NO!" Hikari screeched from where she had moved herself. "DON'T USE THE FAN! DON'T USE THE FAN!" Looking shocked, the man and Tasuki stopped what they were doing. The man remembered about the girl, and headed back towards her. Before the seishi could stop him, he had resumed his attempted strangle of Hikari, this time more violently.  
  
"You bitch, you bitch!" he shouted over and over again. She let out a strangled cry as it got harder to breathe, and wondered if in the approximate five seconds he had been throttling her, could she die quickly?  
  
Suddenly, a knife whizzed past their heads and landed in the wall right next to Hikari's head. Another knife landed on the other side of her, and in a split second, a third knife had imbedded itself into the man's back. His grip loosened on Hikari's neck and he moaned, sliding down on the ground face first. Hikari stared in horror, then looked up to see who the thrower was.  
The other seishi had turned around to see Chiriko, still standing behind them, with a fourth knife in his hand. Chiriko had stopped looking nervous and shy, and was looking very angry. "You'll stop strangling our priestess now, I hope," he said in a tone louder than his usual quiet mumble. Snapping out of their shock, they all ran over to Hikari, who was looking extremely freaked out.  
  
"Hikari-chan, are you okay no da?" Chichiri said, holding onto her arm. She said nothing. "Hikari-chan? Hikari-chan?"  
  
Tasuki and Chiriko were kneeling on the ground, trying to figure out the best way to pull out the knife. "Didn't know ya could throw knives, Chiriko," Tasuki said.  
  
"I did need to learn some form of defense," he said calmly, not looking up.  
  
"That wasn't defense."  
  
"Hikari-san was being strangled."  
  
"You didn't have to chuck a knife in his back."  
  
"You were going to burn him."  
  
"Ah, ano. . ." Hikari said quietly. They crowded around her. "Sorry. I was being really stupid."  
  
"Don't worry about it, Hikari-chan."  
  
"No, I just didn't think, and running when I was tired and thirsty too. I usually could have beaten him up myself."  
  
"It's over now."  
  
"Even though the guy has a knife in his back."  
  
"It was a desperate measure!"  
  
The seishi started a small argument over whether impaling the guy with a sharp object was better than giving him third degree burns. Hikari watched for a minute, then silently passed out, hitting the ground with a dull thud. They looked up and stared at her with their eyes widened.  
  
"Well," Tasuki said. "Didn't expect her to do that." The other two nodded in agreement.  
  
"Excuse me," a voice standing over them said. "I wouldn't pull that knife out here, it'll get infected."  
  
"Eh?" Chiriko said, back to his normal spacy personality.  
  
"We can bring him into my home, it's not very far." It was a tall man, looking concerned. "And the girl as well, you can't just stand around her stupidly, you know."  
  
"Who are you?" Chichiri asked.  
  
"Just a doctor," the man said, smiling slightly.  
  
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Sorry we didn't find anyone interesting today! . . .Or did we? Saa. . . Wait until next time! Please review! Talk to you soon. 


	6. Finding Mitsukake

Disclaimer: I don't own. . .wait, what if I told you I DID own Fushigi Yuugi? What would you do then? *images of a hundred stalkers* Ahaha, no I was kidding. I don't own Fushigi Yuugi, it belongs to Yuu Watase.  
  
Wow. Three chapters within 24 hours. See the magical things death threats can do?  
  
Enjoy Chapter Six!  
  


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Hikari was awoken by a man's loud scream of pain coming from nearby. She blinked a few times and looked around. It was dark, but she was inside a room, lying on a bed. She could make out the shadows of a table with cups on it. Looking down, Hikari saw several figures of people. One had their back resting against the bed and another was draped across the foot of her bed. Hikari tried to speak, but her throat felt dried up.  
  
"Ah," was all that came out. The figure sitting against the bed started.  
  
"Hikari-chan, you're awake."  
  
"What was that noise?" she asked, clearing her throat. Suddenly the moan of pain was heard again, and she saw the figure visibly cringe.  
  
"They're finally taking the knife out of the guy's back." It was Chichiri's voice.  
  
"I see," she said quietly, as a third shadowy figure entered the room. It was Chiriko, holding his knife that was just pulled out and cleaning it off with a cloth. He came over towards the bed and bent down next to Chichiri.  
  
"Hikari-san, are you feeling all right?"  
  
"Uh, yes. Thank you."  
  
"You slept all day," Chichiri said. "Have we been tiring you out?"  
  
"N-no!" Hikari said. She wondered for a moment why she had slept all day. Then it hit her. "In my world, it's sort of a, um, well known trait for teenagers to sleep all the time."  
  
"I think that applies to him, too," Chichiri replied, pointing to the shadowy figure draped along the foot of the bed. "Kick him, he wasn't supposed to fall asleep. He said he wanted to stay awake."  
  
Hikari moved her foot under the covers to kick Tasuki's side. He gave a groan and lifted his head, seeing Hikari sitting up. "Yo, Hikari." He put his head back down and started snoring again. This time Chichiri gave him a whack, and he sat up.  
  
"Ano, Chichiri-san," Chiriko whispered. "Is that man who you think he is?"  
  
"I'm not sure," he started to reply, but was interrupted.  
  
"OH!" Tasuki said loudly. "YOU MEAN YOU THINK THAT GUY IS" but he didn't get to finish his sentence. Chichiri and Hikari were both attacking him, trying to keep him quiet, but it was too late.  
  
"Is the girl awake?" the doctor said, standing in the doorway with a candle in his hand. Hikari nodded, and he made his way over to the table, picking up a glass. "You'll need to drink this," handing it to her. Hikari lifted the glass to her lips, but spilled some when Tasuki bounded across the bed to the doctor, grabbing at his hands.  
  
"You have to be Mitsukake! Do you have a mark on your hands? Can you heal her with your hand?"  
  
The doctor laughed nervously. "No, I cannot heal with my hand." A collective sigh was heard from the other four. "Although it sounds like you're describing my daughter's fiancé. He has been my apprentice for quite some time, and he just moved to the next village over to begin his own practice."  
  
"Does he have a mark on his hand?" Chichiri asked. The doctor nodded, and Chichiri smiled. "We'll be heading there then. Could you tell us the way?"  
  
"Of course. If you come with me, I could draw out a quick map for you."  
  
"That won't be necessary. I just need to know the direction it is in."  
  
"Ah. . .it's east, but it's not that easy to find on foot."  
  
"We won't be walking, so a map is not necessary. But thank you for your kindness."  
  
Hikari looked at Chichiri. "But how will we get there, Chichiri?"  
  
"We'll be using my kesa this time, whenever you're ready."  
  
She drained the glass and hopped up, Chiriko reached out to keep her balance in case she fainted again. "Let's go! I can't wait to teleport!"  
  
"Uh," Chiriko started. "It's the middle of the night, Hikari-san."  
  
"That won't be a problem," the doctor interrupted with a smile. "If you see my daughter, Shouka, tell her I know that she snuck off tonight. I'm sure she'll be happy to welcome you into her fiancé's home."  
  
"Sure thing!" Hikari said. Chichiri grabbed the cloak he had been carrying around with him, along with his other belonging. Chiriko was putting his knife back in a small carrier that no one had noticed before, and Tasuki put on his coat and fan, then picked up Hikari. She put her arms around his neck to hold on as she squealed with excitement, and everyone laughed. They said their thanks to the doctor, and Chichiri spread the cloak on the ground and picked up his staff.  
  
"One more thing," the doctor said. "Please forgive this man. We've had some criminals running around lately, and since he's young and stupid, he jumped to conclusions and thought you were another group looking to con some people." The nodded and Chichiri stamped the staff down on the cloak, and the seishi and their priestess started to sink.  
  


* * *

  
Hikari whooped and flailed her arms and legs around as they rose back up onto Chichiri's cloak. "That was SO cool! Oh my god, let's do that again!"  
  
Tasuki was looking uncomfortable and moving his head in awkward positions to avoid the flying limbs which were still in his arms. "Stop moving or I'll MAKE you stop moving, chibi."  
  
"WHO is a chibi?" Hikari replied. She tried to get out of his grasp. "I think I stand for myself, thank you."  
  
"Ano, Hikari-san," Chiriko said quietly. "I think it would be better if he still carried you. And you two can't fight, it's the middle of the night."  
  
"I'd have to agree," Chichiri said. Tasuki sighed and picked her back up. Hikari made a noise of resignation and held onto him once again. The four of them continued on their way, looking around the village.  
  
"Crap, anyone have a candle?" Tasuki mumbled. "It's really dark."  
  
"Hmm, I was starting to wonder myself how we were going to find the place," Chichiri admitted.  
  
"Oh NOW you think of that, baka!" Tasuki tried to kick Chichiri.  
  
"Ah, the happily married couple," Chichiri said calmly. "Holding his bride lovingly in his arms." Hikari cried out angrily and attempted to hit him. Tasuki had an expression that said if he wasn't trying to make sure the wriggling teenager didn't fall out of his arms, he would have jumped Chichiri. "Don't drop her, she'll murder you." Both stopped.  
  
Chiriko bit his thumbnail. "I think I have an idea," he said quietly. The rest of them leaned in to hear him, but Chiriko wandered over towards the closest house and knocked. He was quivering slightly, but he adjusted his posture as the door opened. A sleepy looking woman was at the doorway. "Pardon me," Chiriko said. "But we have an emergency on our hands. Could you possibly help us?" Chiriko now gestured to Hikari and Tasuki, who were behind him along with Chichiri. "This girl is very very sick, and we need to find a doctor immediately. Can you please show us where it is?"  
  
The woman looked at them grumpily for a minute, then shook her head. Chiriko's shoulders sagged, but he didn't give up. "Please! I'm begging you!" The woman didn't but it. "They just got married this evening! Imagine how upset this man must be that his bride passed out at their wedding!"  
  
"And the tragedy of his bride dying on the day they finally married!" Chichiri added. He was obviously enjoying seeing Tasuki turn more and more red.  
  
The woman's expression softened. "Make a left. It's five houses down."  
  
"Oh, thank you so much!" Chichiri said. The woman shut the door and he snorted. "Wonderful, Chiriko. Just brilliant." Chiriko didn't respond. "Chiriko? Are you ready?"  
  
"Eh? Oh! Yes! Sorry."  
  
"Shall we go then, you two?"  
  
". . ."  
  
"Doesn't ANYONE respond anymore?"  
  
"Meh, let's get the fuck going," Tasuki grumbled.  
  
"Can I get down now?" Hikari whined quietly.  
  
"Absolutley not!"  
  
"I HATE you sometimes."  
  


* * *

  
When they reached the house the woman had described, Chichiri reached out and knocked loudly on the door, but there was no answer. He knocked again, louder this time. "I swear, it's a conspiracy," he mumbled. After knocking a third time, the door swung open. A very flustered but pretty young woman stood in front of them. She was pulling up her robe and desperately trying to keep it closed.  
  
"Ah. . .Can I help you?" she said. Seeing the three men, one carrying a young girl is strange clothing, the woman gave them a strange look.  
  
"We'd like to see the doctor please," Chichiri said. The woman looked at Hikari in Tasuki's arms, very confused.  
  
"At least look a LITTLE bit sick," Tasuki mumbled, nudging Hikari. She stopped wriggling and lay down a bit, making one arm look limp. He snickered. The woman was still staring at them.  
  
"Is she sick?"  
  
"Uh," Tasuki stuttered. "YOUR FATHER SAYS HE KNOWS YOU LEFT!"  
  
The woman jumped and looked very nervous and uncomfortable. "Oh. . .dear. Ano, please come inside!" The four of them followed. Once inside the room they saw a young man sitting in a chair by a candle. He rose when he saw them.  
  
"Hello," he said. The man was very tall. The seishi said nothing for moment. Hikari wondered if this man was one of the seishi.  
  
"Can you please take a look at this girl?" Chichiri finally said. "She had fainted before. . ."  
  
"She's fine."  
  
"But, it's dark," Chichiri said, taken by surprise.  
  
"Isn't she the girl some guy with a knife in his back chased into an alleyway and strangled until she passed out yesterday morning?" The four of them gave him a strange look. "Or something like that, at least. Someone told me that it was a rumor."  
  
"Well, yes, now that you mention it."  
  
"She said she was looking for a Suzaku seishi, didn't she?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"You found me"  
  
"But. . .how do you. . .?"  
  
"I could hear you coming all the way down the street. You four aren't exactly a quiet bunch." A few of the four laughed nervously. "I have the mark of Suzaku on my hand. I am Mitsukake," he said. The other four let out a sigh of relief. "Shall I prepare for the journey?" Mitsukake said quietly. He left the room with the woman, Shouka, following.  
  
"Tasuki, you can put Hikari down now, I think."  
  
". . .She's sleeping again."  
  


* * *

  
YAY! Chapter six done. THERE'S Mitsukake. Finally. So I think I know how I'm going to make them find the others, but, ah, we'll see what the long hours of the night make my hands type. Although, you know, it's only 11:12 p.m.! Well, next chapter will probably come at one in the morning.  
  
If you enjoyed this, please review! Actually, review even if you didn't enjoy it. HEY YOU LOOKING AT THE SCREEN! REVIEW! 


	7. YOU'RE A seishi?

*creepy voice* I'm ba-a-a-a-a-ack. *evil smile* Yeah, I'm kind of in a weird mood today. And it's the morning, who knows if this chapter will turn out good.  
  
Disclaimer: This annoys me. If I'm writing fanfiction, you KNOW I don't own Fushigi Yuugi. And it's true, I don't.  
  
Oh, and this chapter is dedicated to Kerry, because Nuriko is all hers. And of course, my new "Beta Reader" Caitlin.  
  
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It had been about a week since they had found Mitsukake, and they all were heading to the main city. After resting the night before at an inn, the suzaku seishi and their new priestess were up bright and early to continue their journey, all in a fairly good mood. Giving up on trying to get Chichiri to teleport them all, Hikari was quietly looking around at the scenery as they walked.  
  
As the sun rose to be at its highest point in the sky, Chichiri slowed. "We're almost there, but why don't we take a break?" he suggested. They all nodded in agreement, plopping their stuff down. Mitsukake and Chiriko rested their backs against nearby trees and Tasuki flopped down on his stomach. Chichiri wandered off. Hikari sat down, and looked around, bored. Even Tasuki had fallen asleep. Hikari flopped down next to him and poked him.  
  
"Ne, Tasuki. Are you sleeping?" she whispered.  
  
"YES." He rolled over so that his back was facing her.  
  
"Hey, that was mean!" She rested her head against his back and felt him become very tense.  
  
"What are you doing?"  
  
"Resting."  
  
"But. . .ah. . ."  
  
"Oh, get over it." She did a little headbutt into his back and stood up, brushing herself off. Leaving the three sleeping seishi, she wandered off to go find Chichiri. She found him a little ways off by some sort of pond, sitting by the edge. She went and sat next to him.  
  
"Hello," he said, smiling at her.  
  
"Is this why you let us stop?" she asked. Chichiri nodded.  
  
"Usually I'd be fishing, but I don't have my fishing rod with me."  
  
"Do you think there's any fish in here?"  
  
"Dunno," he said, shrugging. He smiled at Hikari. "Miaka-chan once started off a serious conversation by asking that question." Hikari paused.  
  
"Then maybe you can tell me why we immediately started looking for the seishi? Why are we summoning Suzaku?"  
  
"What do you mean?" he asked, looking confused. "Girls appear from the other world because they want to summon Suzaku. Don't you have wishes you want to be granted?"  
  
"Um," she said. "I'm not sure. I didn't mean to come here. I didn't know that's what would happen."  
  
"I think it usually is by accident."  
  
"But. . .Okaasan said that when she went, she kind of had some warning."  
  
"How did you get here then?"  
  
"Well, it was night where I was, and my mother was telling me more about the Shi Jin Ten Chi Sho, this place, like she always has. And then in the next room, my dad started yelling and we saw this really bright red light."  
  
"The light of Suzaku. Go on."  
  
"Um. . .and then I saw this little book where the light was brightest, and I spaced out. The next thing I next, I was in the light, facing my parents and they were kind of fading away."  
  
"So you had no idea what was going on?"  
  
"No," Hikari said, shaking her head.  
  
"Usually Suzaku will call the priestess. . ." Chichiri said, lost in thought.  
  
"Why do you think he called me?"  
  
"I'm not sure. But I do know that our country of Konan is in trouble." He saw Hikari look confused. "It seems peaceful, but. . .it's been falling apart from the inside. Our emperor, Boushin-sama, is a good man, like his father. But six months ago, some strange man no one had heard of before organized this massive riot right in the main square to try and throw Boushin-sama from the throne. Soliders stopped the riot, but that man disappeared, and no one has seen him since. That's not all, but that's the major conflict as of now."  
  
"Wow," Hikari breathed. "It sounds like something right out of a history textbook."  
  
"Eh? What do you mean, no da?"  
  
"Oh, nevermind. You and your "no da"s, though!" Dipping a finger lightly in the water, she flopped onto her stomach, but the spongy ground couldn't hold her. The muddy soil crumbled beneath her and she shrieked and she fell into the water.  
  
Chichiri jumped up from where he was sitting. "Hikari-chan! Are you alright?" He held out his hand to help her out.  
  
Hikari coughed for a minute, wiping the water out of her eyes. She then grabbed the hand being offered and tugged Chichiri into the water after her. He had a look of complete surprise as he toppled in head first, but when he bobbed back up to the surface, they both laughed. "It was getting to serious for me," she said, excusing her sporadic playfulness. "Ne, you know what would really bug Tasuki?"  
  
"What?" Chichiri asked, still good natured although he was soaking wet. Hikari pushed Chichiri back under the water and screamed at the top of her lungs. Within seconds she heard the footsteps of the other seishi running towards them, shouting.  
  
"Hikari! What's the matter?" They were all yelling. Chiriko bent down and offered a hand like Chichiri before him, and Mitsukake grabbed a long stick to hold out to her. Tasuki, on the other hand, was running with his god-given seishi speed and took a flying leap into the pond, realizing too late that she was grinning madly. Before they knew what had hit them, Hikari grabbed the stick and Chiriko's hand, dragging them both into the pond as well.  
  
Chichiri was above the surface again, grinning at Tasuki, who had just floated up. He was in the center of the pond, flailing his arms and yelling like a madman. "AGH! I CAN'T SWIM, I CAN'T SWIM! HIKARI! AAAAAGH HELP ME DAMN YOU!"  
  
"Oh shut up," she said, laughing. "If you stay where it's shallow, you can stand!"  
  
Mitsukake was looking at Hikari curiously. "What was all that about?"  
  
She shrugged and smiled. "It's not like we're a funeral procession, right?" Mitsukake smiled. Back by the center of the pond, Chiriko had swam over to a still flailing Tasuki and was trying to lead him closer to the shore.  
  
"You really need to learn how to swim, Tasuki-san," Chiriko said. Tasuki let a number of colorful curses fly, and everyone laughed. Hikari had managed to push away any worries or doubts she had had earlier, like she knew jumping into the pond and causing a commotion would do.  
  
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By mid-afternoon, the five of them had given up trying to dry their clothes in a logical manner. Tasuki's tessen had only succeeded in burning the top of Hikari's sock. By the time they reached the city, their goal for that day, they were tromping through the streets, grinning as their shoes made squishing sounds.  
  
The seishi and Hikari had reached the marketplace, and Hikari was going from stand to stand with widened eyes, making sounds of awe at every fan, slipper, and piece of cloth. The seishi were casually strolling, following her from a distance but not worrying too much about her. Finally she came upon a stand selling beautiful glass balls. Leaning forward she poked and prodded then, squealing. "They're SO cool!" Hikari said. "Back home, we'd never be able to find something this nice!"  
  
"I'm glad you think so," said a voice directly behind her. Hikari spun around, caught by surprise. A woman was standing over her with a cheeky smile on her face. "That is my stand, of course."  
  
"Oh!" Hikari said. "They're really really nice! I would buy one from you, but I don't have any money on me. Not from this world, at least."  
  
"This world?" The woman said, curious. "You mean you're from another world?" Hikari nodded. "I remember that girls from the other world dressed oddly, but I would never have imagined that you could see right through their clothes."  
  
"WHAT?" Hikari shrieked. She looked down. Her uniform, although gray colored, was wet and plastered against her chest area, showing more than an outline of her bra. She cringed and cursed herself for wearing a black bra. "You guys! WHY didn't you tell me!?!?!" She yelled at the approaching seishi.  
  
"Ah, um. . ." Chiriko said. "You've been running around this whole time, we couldn't exactly get a closer look, Hikari-san." She turned bright red. "Oh! That's not what I meant! We weren't trying purposely to getacloserlookatleastthatswhatithinkididntmeanforittoturnoutsoawkwardly. . ." he mumbled to himself, blushing.  
  
The woman laughed. "I thought she might be a priestess, but you certainly don't look like a seishi." She looked at Chiriko for an answer, but he was looking off in the distance, completely spaced out. Hikari poked him, and he jumped.  
  
"Oh! I am a seishi. I'm Chiriko."  
  
"NO WAY!" The lady yelled. "You're kidding me! You've gotten so BIG! Oh my Suzaku, I don't believe it! Wow, you're like the same age as the priestess now! Are you two dating? WAIT! WHERE ARE THE OTHERS? Eek, I can't believe this!"  
  
"We're right here," Tasuki interrupted. "Will you stop yer squawkin'? Who the hell are ya?"  
  
"TASUKI!!! I'VE BEEN LOOKING FORWARD TO THIS!" the woman ran forward and squeezed Tasuki in a massive hug. He looked uncomfortable, but also short of breath.  
  
"Ay," he said with some difficulty. "Lemme go, I can't breathe!"  
  
"Ano. . ." Hikari said awkwardly. People nearby were either staring at the screeching purple haired lady or staring at Hikari's clothing dilemma. The woman turned to her.  
  
"Now that I think about it, you do look EXACTLY like Miaka. OH! You ARE Miaka! MIAKA!!"  
  
"I'm NOT Miaka," Hikari grumbled.  
  
"She's Miaka and Tamahome's daughter," Chichiri added.  
  
"Woooooow, they had a kid, did they? Only one, or are there more?"  
  
"Only one!" Hikari said, embarrassed for some reason. "But, um, if we're going to scream more, could we move to a place where people won't stare? My clothes are embarrassing me now."  
  
"Well of course," the woman said. "Follow me, you'll be happy you found me."  
  
The followed the woman, weaving through the marketplace. Hikari suddenly snapped out of the whirlwind of confusion the woman had created. "Wait, you ARE you?"  
  
"I'm Nuriko, of course."  
  
"I KNEW IT!" Tasuki yelled. "I knew it all along! Of course you were Nuriko!"  
  
"Then why have you been giving Nuriko suspicious glares the entire time?" Chichiri asked. Tasuki said nothing, only muttering under his breath.  
  
Nuriko laughed. "Well, welcome to my home." They were walking towards a small house, where there was a man standing at the doorway, looking surprised. "That is my husband. Dear, we have guests!" She said, calling out to the man.  
  
"You're married?" Mitsukake asked, the first thing he had said in a while. Nuriko nodded, smiling.  
  
"Wait, you're a WOMAN?" Tasuki yelled, surprised. Nuriko nodded again, grinning.  
  
"But more importantly, Nuriko," Chichiri said. "Do you have any idea where Hotohori is?"  
  
"Of course I do," Nuriko said matter-of-factly. "I'm married to him."  
  
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YES! This has been my master plan since the beginning, all you readers. To the people who left comments asking that Nuriko be happy. . . I felt the EXACT same way. And there you have it. We have all the seishi now. . .Except Tamahome. What are we going to do about Tamahome? *shakes head and clucks* Well, I didn't need to ask you, because I know EXACTLY how we're going to get Tamahome. It's the last day of my vacation today, so. . .it's back to work and most likely the "I'm going to write a chapter a week but I forgot so we'll make it 10 days to a fortnight" deal. Although I do have about a month's worth of chapters done in this week alone. Talk to you guys sooooooon! Lol I practically cackled writing that last line of dialogue. Yeah, I'm done. 


	8. A trip to the palace

I'm back with a vengeance! Sorry I haven't written a chapter in a few weeks. So, it's nearly 2 a.m. and I was inspired to stop playing Final Fantasy X (I died. . .what can you do), and write a new chapter. Even though I'm not really sure how this part's going to go. Well then. It goes a little something like this. . .  
  
[NO DISCLAIMER! AHAHAHAHAHA!]  
  
[Insert disclaimer here]  
  
Chapter 8  
  
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Nuriko ran up to the man and gave him a kiss, wearing an almost insane grin on her face. The man, who Hikari noticed was not your average looking man (instead he was quite handsome), smiled and gestured back towards her and her group.  
  
All the seishi were staring in complete disbelief, frozen in place with their mouths hanging wide open. Hikari had never seen quite a dramatic reaction before- only in manga.  
  
"Hey, all of you! What are you doing?"  
  
". . .Nuriko-san is married. . ." Chiriko said quietly.  
  
". . .To Hotohori. . ." Chichiri added.  
  
". . .And she's a woman," Tasuki finished. Mitsukake gave him a smack upside the head- he was learning quickly from Chichiri.  
  
Nuriko laughed, still grinning madly. "Well why don't you come in." The four seishi and the priestess shuffled into the house, following Nuriko and the one whom Nuriko claimed to be Hotohori. They seated themselves at a table. "I'm not going to bother bringing tea now, let's get down to business. First of all, Miaka's daughter, who are you?"  
  
"Eto. . .I'm Hikari Sukunami. Apparently, yes, the daughter of, um, Tamahome and Miaka," Hikari stuttered. Nuriko was staring at her intently, and Hikari was very nervous being interrogated. She mentally scolded herself for being so stupid. "I am from the other world."  
  
"You really do look a lot like Miaka," Hotohori said in an awed voice. "Although you're not wearing the odangos."  
  
Hikari laughed nervously. "No, those are kind of out of style at the moment. But I'm sure by now they're back in style, considering I've been gone for a week or two." Everyone nodded stupidly, and there was a lull in the conversation.  
  
"Hotohori-sama, what do you do now that you're not the emperor?" Chichiri asked. Hikari had forgotten that he used to be the emperor.  
  
"I'm actually an advisor for the emperor now. Since that incident when I was ten and my memories were returned, with that other girl, Mayo was her name? He found out that I am his father's reincarnation. The "sama" is not necessary now, you know."  
  
"Old habit," Chichiri said, and they both laughed.  
  
"His highness Boushin-sama trusts Hotohori very much," Nuriko added.  
  
"Which reminds me, I am expected back at the palace as the third bell rings."  
  
"Mm hmm."  
  
"I think it would be wise to introduce the seishi and the priestess to his highness at that time."  
  
"Mm hmm."  
  
"Nuriko, darling."  
  
"Mm hmm?"  
  
"Can you say something else?"  
  
"Mm hmm. Aren't we missing someone?"  
  
"Tamahome," Chiriko said. He turned to Hikari. "How is your father?"  
  
"He's fine, but I hate to tell you that he doesn't exactly seem magical. He's just a geezer and a teacher at my high school. He can't fly or teleport or anything like that." Somewhere in the void of the universe, Taka Sukunami sneezed, and Miaka handed him a hankerchief, both then resuming their position hunched over the old book.  
  
"Yeah, but can ya get 'im over here?" Tasuki said.  
  
"You have to remember that he is no longer Tamahome. He is Tamahome's reincarnation, Taka, who last time we met had not inherited his seishi powers."  
  
"Crap."  
  
"I believe that we should seek Taitsu-kun's guidance for this. Hotohori is right, presenting ourselves at the palace first would be a good decision. Has the second bell rung yet?"  
  
"Yes, not too long ago," Hotohori replied. "We should head towards the palace so that we're not late." Everyone nodded and got up, heading towards the door.  
  
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After discovering that the capital used bells and small candles as an inefficient way of time telling, Hikari found that they had quickly arrived at the palace. It was large and elaborate, with many guards in every corner. At first, she had watched with interest as Hotohori calmly entered as if he owned the place and walked quickly through many halls, and she had looked in astonishment at the ornate ceilings and wall hangings and statues. Hikari had the strong urge to open every door they passed just to look inside, but she resisted. Soon, they slowed as they neared two large doors, which of course were decorated elaborately as well. One of the guards standing at the door nodded at Hotohori, who then spoke to the guard in a hushed tone. The guard nodded and went inside; the seishi followed.  
  
Hikari shivered with a nervous excitement as they entered the massive room. Like everything else they had passed, it was decorated beautifully, but Hikari saw that inside, steps led to a raised area with a large golden chair, which she assumed was the throne. Resisting her need to hop from foot to foot, she squeezed the arm of the nearest seishi.  
  
Unfortunatley, it happened to be Chiriko, who was quite skinny and didn't have nearly as much arm bulk as a few of the others. "Ano. . .Hikari-san," Chiriko whispered. "I wish you would please stop whatever you're doing. It hurts."  
  
Hikari looked surprised and realized that his forearm and hand was turning an odd shade of red-purple. The quickly released her grip. "I'm sorry!"  
  
"It's alright, it's just that the circulation was being cut off."  
  
"Ne ne, Chiriko," Hikari whispered quickly, feeling more nervous by the second. She was still clutching his arm, except a little lighter. "What do we do when we meet the emporer?"  
  
He paused and looked thoughtful. "I have no idea," he whispered back. Now it was Chiriko's turn to cut of Hikari's circulation, as he nervously held onto her wrist.  
  
"Touchy feely, eh you two?" Nuriko teased.  
  
"Shush!" Hikari said. After thinking for a moment, she remembered that in the story, Nuriko was the strongest and she immediately started to cling to her.  
  
"You're going to kill me!" Nuriko said in a strangled voice. Suddenly, a guard's voice boomed.  
  
"His Highness, the emperor of Konan, Boushin-sama!" Hikari felt Nuriko drop to the ground, and she was a little confused, but she didn't look to see what Nuriko was doing. She couldn't take here eyes away from the tall figure that had just appeared, which was coming closer and closer, not bothering to sit on the throne.  
  
The emperor, who was descending the stairs, was dressed in billowing, embroidered robes, the likes of which Hikari had never seen before. An odd looking ornament kept his hair in place, which was also framing his face nicely. She blushed as she saw that he was in fact young and quite handsome, and he was looking directly as her.  
  
"Hikari, what are you doing?!?! BOW!" Nuriko hissed at her. Looking around, she saw that everyone else was indeed groveling on the floor.  
  
She gasped and dropped to the floor abruptly, squeaking in pain as her knees slammed against the hard floor. She saw feet. Looking up, she saw the young emperor himself standing over her, looking concerned. "Ano. . .Gomen nasai!" Hikari said quickly, turning red.  
  
"It is quite alright. I just wanted a look at you," the emperor replied, smiling. She heard the seishi around her breathe out in relief. "The daughter of the priestess and a warrior, is that so? I met them when I was very young, both were quite noble."  
  
"H-hai," Hikari said, not bothering to look up from the floor again.  
  
"You are our savior, the new Suzaku no Miko," the emperor said. "There is no need for you to bow any longer. They will bow to you now." Hikari took the hint to stand up, and saw the guards and servants who had been lurking in the corner bow to her. She was surprised.  
  
"Your Highness," Hotohori said, interrupting the brief silence. "May I introduce to you the new seishi as well." They all bowed.  
  
"Please, serve your priestess well. Ah, Hotohori, there was a draft of a new law that I would like you to look over, now. I can't read it for too long by myself, we might strain our eyes. Of course something as horrendous as that will not do, as it will ruin our beauty."  
  
"Hai," Hotohori replied and turned to the seishi, nodding at them briefly. Hikari noticed that he looked as if he was restraining himself from saying something, and he had a pained look on his face for a brief moment. He quickly pivoted to follow after the emperor.  
  
"Oh," Boushin said, turning around once more. "As was the tradition last time, you may stay at the palace for now. We will have rooms prepared for all of you. And perhaps the priestess would be interested in seeing the sacred relics?" The seishi voiced their thanks.  
  
Once the emperor and Hotohori had exited the room, Tasuki snorted loudly. Chichiri smiled. "He does take after his father, doesn't he," he said, amused.  
  
"Miko-sama," a servant said politely, moving towards Hikari. "If you'll follow me, the sacred relics are this way." Hikari raised one eyebrow and started to walk after the woman, the seishi following behind her.  
  
After some time of walking down long hallways, the servant opened one of two large, heavy looking doors, which creaked as they swung open slowly. Inside the room was a prominent gold statue of a phoenix, obviously a tribute to Suzaku. Behind it, farther inside the room, was a long pedestal- like table surrounded by candles and incense.  
  
"These are the sacred relics of the previous Suzaku no miko," the servant said in a hushed tone.  
  
Hikari moved closer to see what they were, the seishi by her side. She leaned forward to look at the objects, and dropped to her knees.  
  
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Dun dun duuuuuuuuuuuuuun. What the hell could make Hikari fall to her knees? We don't know. Well, I know, but you don't. Hahahahaha! I thought it was the best place to stop for now, even though the chapter is just a few paragraphs shorter than usual. Although there has been shorter. Saa tte. . . Tune in next time for Chapter Nine! Which I think I'll start immediately. So I can make up for two weeks of no updates. Oops!  
  
Wow, that was a happy author note for being REALLY pissed off at the moment. . . This is going to be the worst month of school, I swear. So stressful, and I just lost some important things that are essential to the project. *Swears*  
  
Please review!!!! Reviewers will receive a hug from the seishi of their choice. 


	9. Uncomfortable Discussions

*Tasuki-like voice* Hisashiburine! *ahem* Long time no see, guys! This chapter has been almost complete for a very very long time, but, uh, I neglected it. Gomen nasai!  
  
Disclaimer:  
  
Nikki: Hello everyone, it's me, the author. Starting now, I'm omnipotent. I don't own anything affiliated with Fushigi Yuugi, but. . . *pulls Hotohori from the sky*  
  
Hotohori: *thud* OW! *swears*  
  
Nikki: Minions, take note that this is the OLD Hotohori.  
  
Hotohori: The more beautiful Hotohori.  
  
Nikki: Not necessarily. Now. . .Caitlin. . . *pulls good friend from the sky*  
  
Caitlin: *thud* OW! What the. . . .?  
  
Nikki: You reviewed, and you know what THAT means!  
  
Caitlin: I have to die slowly? That can't be right.  
  
Nikki: NO! YOU GET A HUG!  
  
Hotohori: *runs* Let's get this overwith! *hugs Caitlin*  
  
Enjoy chapter 9!  
  
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"AH! AHA! AHAHAHAHAHAHA! Oh my god, stop! I. . .can't. . .breathe!!!" Hikari gasped inbetween long fits of laughter. One hand was gripping Mitsukake's arm, and the other was on her stomach. Hikari was doubled over, on her knees, laughing hysterically.  
  
"Ano. . .Miko-sama!" the servant said awkwardly. Hikari calmed down to listen. "Please, do not be disrespectful of the sacred relics!" This sent Hikari into another fit of laughter.  
  
"What is wrong?" Said a voice behind her. It was Hotohori, having returned from meeting with the emperor, Boushin-sama.  
  
"I dunno what the hell she's doin'," Tasuki said. "She took one look at the stuff and cracked up."  
  
"The sacred relics?" Hotohori asked, shocked.  
  
"SACRED RELICS! BWAHAHAHA!" Hikari was in gales of laughter once again.  
  
"Hikari-san, why are these so humorous?" Chiriko asked.  
  
Hikari tried to stifle a giggle. Among the objects was one dirty sock, an old, bent English textbook, a flashlight, a bottle of rubber cement, and a stopwatch. She wondered why in the world her mother would have brought half of those things, but also realized that the people of Konan most likely had no idea what all the objects were (besides the sock, of course). Embarrassed, for some reason, the servant had left the room.  
  
"Eheh. . .it's just that, well, those objects are not meant to be sacred."  
  
"What are they?" Chichiri asked.  
  
"Well, let's see. That thing, see that? It's called a stopwatch. You use it to tell how much time something takes. I have no idea why she brought it. Or that thing," she pointed again. "I don't know why she would bring rubber cement. It's used as glue. You know, to hold things together. Although by now it's definitely dried up." She shook her head. "Who knows, maybe mom liked to get high off rubber cement. . .she's always happy. . . Oh, and that's a flashlight. It provides light, like a candle. Sort of. And the textbook is for learning."  
  
"Really?" Chiriko asked excitedly. "What does it teach?" He reached out, but then stopped himself, realizing that one could not touch the sacred objects. He turned red.  
  
"Ah, Hikari, I meant to tell you, Boushin-sama requested your presence at his office."  
  
"Eh?! But we just saw him!"  
  
"No, without us."  
  
". . .Alone?"  
  
"That's what I meant by 'without us.'"  
  
Hikari turned a walked towards the doorway, muttering things like 'Oh god' quietly to herself. She stopped. "Oh yeah, um. . .can someone show me where it is?"  
  
"Yes, follow me," Hotohori said, walking past Hikari.  
  
-----------------------  
  
Once again, Hikari found herself marching through the long corridors, only this time it wasn't as large a procession. She took the silent moment to stare at the newly discovered seishi's back. She had heard so much about the Hotohori who was emperor from her mother's stories. He seemed to be the same as far as she could recall, but he was tall and carried himself as if he was a very important person, superior to most of those around him. She felt slightly intimidated.  
  
"How is Miaka?" Hotohori said, slowing down next to her and breaking the silence. "And Tamahome?"  
  
"Okaa-san and Otou-san are fine. Thank you."  
  
"You look a lot like your mother, but you certainly are much more quiet. Besides the laughing."  
  
"Oh, I'm not really quiet," Hikari admitted. "Yui oba-san always said I act a lot like my father, because he likes to teach me martial arts, but it's just that I've never been in a place like this before."  
  
"Meaning the palace?"  
  
"Well, yes, the palace- it's enormous! I don't know how to act in a place like this! But this world is very different. It's taken some getting used to, you know."  
  
"I'd love to hear stories about your world some time!" Hotohori said enthusiastically. "I love stories like that. Ah, here we are." He stopped at a door and knocked.  
  
"Yes, come in," said a voice from inside. Hotohori opened the door and gave Hikari a little push inside, but did not follow, and closed the door behind her.  
  
Hikari panicked. Inside, sitting at a desk and looking very grave was the emperor. She stuttered and bowed to him.  
  
"Ah, Suzaku no miko, hello," he said. She noticed that he looked pretty young, but acted far more mature than he was.  
  
"Um, how do you do," she replied quietly.  
  
"Please, have a seat."  
  
She felt like she was in trouble, for some odd reason. "Uh, okay. I mean, yes! Sorry!" She walked towards the desk, but there was no chair, so she folded her legs and sat on them.  
  
"How are your mother and father?"  
  
"They're fine, thank you."  
  
"I hope you find a way to have Tamahome travel to our land soon. I have a fond memory of him from when I was a small child."  
  
"Sou desu ka," Hikari replied quietly [A/N: translates to a politer "Is that so"].  
  
"I also hope that you and your warriors will stay in the palace for the time being."  
  
"It's, uh, not my decision to make, but I'm sure we'll gladly accept your invitation."  
  
"Tell me, what is the shinzaho needed to summon Suzaku this time?" the emperor said, leaning forward.  
  
"To tell the truth, I don't really know. Your highness," she added quickly at the end.  
  
"You're very good at being so formal," the emperor said, smiling. "Please excuse all my questions. I have to admit, I was very excited to meet someone my age who was not used to knowing me as "your highness." So please, the 'your highness' is not necessary. I do not govern the priestess from another world."  
  
"Your age? Are you my age?" Hikari said, surprised. The emperor looked a bit older than she was.  
  
"I am eighteen years old," he replied. "Are you not of similar age?"  
  
"Um, I'm fifteen, but. . ."  
  
"There you have it," he said, cutting her off. "If there is anything you or the suzaku seishi need, we will see that it is taken care of. Shall I walk you back to the sacred shrine?"  
  
Hikari panicked and looked around wildly for an escape route, but there was none. If the emperor wanted to walk side by side with her, then he would, whether she liked it or not. Boushin rose and Hikari nervously followed as he gracefully exited the room.  
  
As they walked down the hall, Hikari felt very self-conscious. She could feel multiple pairs of eyes on them as he glided down a long, ornate hallway, and she trotted nervously to keep up with him. As they reached the two large doors to the shrine, Boushin leaned and whispered to Hikari.  
  
"I wish you wouldn't be nervous. I only mean well. There is no need to think of me as your ruler."  
  
Hikari stiffened, still frightened by the figure of power next to her, and nodded. Suddenly, she began to understand.  
  
Boushin was still leaning by her ear when the two large doors swung open unnaturally quickly. On the other side was a very surprised Tasuki, with a smirking Nuriko and a timid servant behind him.  
  
"There ya're, Hikari! Wonderin' where ya went," he said, immediately bowing to the emperor, along with those behind him. He was obviously not saying exactly what he thought, and seemed to be biting his cheek. "Your highness," he said respectfully.  
  
"I gather you are Tasuki?" Boushin said, acknowledging him.  
  
"Your highness," said Nuriko sweetly. "This kind servant was informing us that you are allowing us to stay in the palace. I thank you very very much."  
  
"I hope that she will be showing you your rooms," the emperor said, smiling. "Please, be on your way." The three passed by him, and Hikari bowed to the emperor.  
  
"Please excuse me," she said, and followed after them.  
  
--------------------------  
  
When they were out of earshot, Tasuki, who was walking briskly in front of all of them, grabbed Hikari's wrist and pulled her alongside of him.  
  
Stumbling, she looked up at Tasuki, but he was still looking straight ahead, unsmiling.  
  
"What the hell do ya think yer doin'?" he hissed in her ear.  
  
"Eh? What do you mean?"  
  
"You don' walk next to th'emperor alone! If he don' like what 'e sees, his majesty could chop off yer head, or somethin'! Don' be so stupid. I dunno if ya have an emperor in your world or what, but. . ." he stopped abruptly as Hikari slapped him hard. They both kept walking quickly, not noticing that the two behind them had stopped to watch.  
  
"Baka," she growled.  
  
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Yay, finished it off quickly. ^^;;; I only had the last quarter of it to finish. I'll update soon again! Thank you to Caitlin for reminding me. Eheheh. 


	10. Sort of juvenille, they know

Hi guys. Yep, I just started this chapter immediately after I finished the last one. Might as well get it overwith, ne?  
  
Disclaimer: Oh come on, I'm REALLY not in the mood to explain for the TENTH time that I don't own ANYTHING that has to do with Fushgi Yuugi. But I don't, just to reinforce that.  
  
Please enjoy chapter 10! (can anyone tell me how to say that in Japanese? I bet it would sound a lot better...) Actually, I just figured it out myself. I think.  
  
Chapter 10 o tanoshiminde kudasai!  
  
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"Baka," Hikari hissed. "You'll never guess what."  
  
"What?"  
  
"He just wants a friend. Maybe you've learned about things like that? Loneliness? Friendship? I guess not, since you have the emotional flexibility of a five-year-old!!!!!!" Hikari pivoted and stomped back to Nuriko, who had stopped to watch them.  
  
"Wait! Hey! What was that for! Oi, Hikari!" Tasuki shouted back, but she didn't hear. She was already marching in the other direction with Nuriko, who turned around and grinned at Tasuki.  
  
-----------------------------  
  
"Seriously, what is his problem? Why does he always pick a fight!"  
  
"Don't get too upset over it," Nuriko said, smiling. "He's just a fighting kind of guy. He'll die if he can't say something loudly and bluntly."  
  
"It's like I'm back in middle school," Hikari grumbled.  
  
"Middle school?"  
  
"Um, a school for kids younger than I am. The boys were obnoxious."  
  
"Hmm, really. . .Oh! OI CHICHIRI, OVER HERE!" Nuriko yelled, waving her arms at the former monk, who was walking down the hallway. He turned to look at them and came walking over.  
  
"You three are the talk of the servants here," he laughed. "I heard there was a very loud fight a few minutes ago, and the maid who was to show you your rooms ran off, frightened. Speaking of which, where's Tasuki?"  
  
"God knows," Hikari spat.  
  
". . .Don't look so happy, Hikari-chan," Chichiri said, amused, to his priestess, who was pouting and had a dark look on her face. "So anyways, it's my turn to show you to your rooms. Nuriko, you're down that corridor on the left. I think the door to your room is open."  
  
"Alright, I'm off then," she said, and walked gracefully away from them.  
  
"And you aren't anywhere near here, unfortunately. Come on." Hikari followed Chichiri in the opposite direction.  
  
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Hikari looked around the room that she was to live in with amazement. It wasn't too big, but it was decorated beautifully, as if it was from a movie or a museum. The bed in the corner was draped with different colored fabrics, and she ran to sit on it. Chichiri came and sat next to her.  
  
"I wouldn't get too upset over anything Tasuki says. He tends to be offensive."  
  
"I know, that's what Nuriko told me. Sort of."  
  
Chichiri laughed. "What did Tasuki say, anyway?"  
  
"Nothing important. He was just being weird that I talked to the emperor by myself."  
  
"Ah, I see." He smiled at her calmly, as he always did. "You should know, he gets very upset if no one's paying attention to him. Sort of juvenile, I know."  
  
"Thank you for listening, it definitely calmed me down. You're like my onii-chan."  
  
"You're welcome."  
  
"Well, I don't have a brother, but it's as if I have one now."  
  
"Anytime, Hikari-chan. Don't look so gloomy."  
  
"But, can I ask you a question?" Chichiri looked at her. "When my mother was here, do you think she felt alone?"  
  
He was silent for a minute. "I think sometimes. But we haven't run into all the problems that she did. Your mother is stronger than she lets on, you know. Do you feel alone?"  
  
"Sometimes. It's just that I'm not familiar with anything around here, and when we were traveling, I was always a strange foreigner. And I don't really know anyone that well. I'm not used to not having anyone I'm close to with me."  
  
"But you have us, your seishi."  
  
"I know, and I hope to become close with all of you eventually. But I'm not used to just starting over. I don't know when I'll go home, do I. Back home, I was pretty close with my parents, and I was always surrounded by friends, a lot of whom I had known since we were really little."  
  
"Let's just hope none of them get sucked into this book. Who knows where the seiryu are now," Chichiri muttered to himself.  
  
"What?"  
  
"No, nothing." Then there was a knock on the door.  
  
"Hikari-san," Chiriko's voice called out.  
  
"Hai?"  
  
"We're all going back into the city. Would you like to come along?"  
  
"Okay!" She jumped up and opened the door, Chichiri following. Outside were all the seishi, including a pouting Tasuki in the corner.  
  
The eight of them tromped down into the city in a tightly knit, noisily chatting group. Hikari noticed that although these people had all just met, there was a strong bond, and she felt comforted.  
  
Hotohori and Nuriko broke away from the group. "We're going to be staying at the palace as well, so we're going to gather our things," they explained. "See you in a little while!"  
  
"Bye!" Hikari waved, in a very good mood. She noticed Tasuki was still pouting, talking gruffly to Mitsukake. Chichiri's words rang in her head. 'He gets very upset if no one's paying attention to him.' Feeling completely forgiving, she marched over and grabbed Tasuki's arm. "I want to wander around, come with me!" she said, grinning, and tugged him along to a nearby vendor's stand.  
  
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Aww. This is just a chapter to settle things and set things up for NEXT chapter. Ho ho ho.. . .you'll want to stick around. Trust me. No really, trust me. Please review! See you next time! 


	11. Many usages of the word come

4/27/04: Hi guys. 'Tis I, your faithful (sort of) author. Here's the deal. I have two days to write this chapter, since I need to finish it by a friend's birthday. So it might not be my best.  
  
Which brings me to my next point: This chapter is dedicated to Kerry, for her 16th birthday. HAPPY BIRTHDAY! You'll see why, you'll see why. . .  
  
Please enjoy chapter 11! WARNING: Bit of a high rating for sexual innuendo.  
  
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After being directed in the right direction, Hikari trotted down a narrow street to find Hotohori and Nuriko. As the seishi had seemed occupied, she had volunteered to go get the couple and help them with their stuff.  
  
Finding the right door, Hikari knocked, but there was no response. Knock again. No answer. Concerned, Hikari pushed open the door slightly. "Um!" she called into the house. "Nuriko? Hotohori?" She heard no voices. About to turn around, figuring they had already left, Hikari heard something drop to the floor. She panicked, but summoned up all her courage to enter the house.  
  
Carefully creaking across the floor, she walked closer to the room where she heard the sound. There was a curtain blocking the door way, so there was no way of peeking in. She heard a muffled sound. Poised and ready to execute a few of her best karate moves, Hikari gritted her teeth and counted.  
  
"One, two. . .THREE!" and ripped the curtain to the side, expecting some knife wielding villains to be holding the two seishi captive. Instead, there the two of them were on a mattress with absolutely no clothes on, doing things Hikari would forever try to block out of her mind.  
  
The startled couple had looked up, frozen. Their eyes widened. Hikari's jaw dropped. She let out a scream that only a young girl who has been terribly disturbed could make. Her cheeks burned, and she pivoted and dashed out the door, running in the direction she had come from.  
  
-----------------------------  
  
Running down the street and wailing at the top of her lungs was how she bumped into a man, knocking him completely over. He spilled the packages he was carrying, and Hikari was once again terribly embarrassed.  
  
"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!" she said, and reached to help the man pick up whatever he had spilled.  
  
"Get away! Don't touch anything," the man growled. Hikari stuttered and looked down, noticing that he had spilled several knives and other sharp looking things.  
  
"Oh, but, uh, I was only trying to help, and"  
  
"Just fucking don't! Get away from my stuff!" The man was hastily sweeping his belongings back up, looking around nervously to make sure no one else saw him. He stood up and towered over Hikari. He was unusually tall, with a cold but pretty face. His good looks were ruined, though, with a nasty expression in his eyes. His lip curled. "Don't you tell anyone what you saw." He paused. "Although is doesn't matter now, anyways. Now would be the right time, I suppose."  
  
"Right time for what?" Hikari wondered.  
  
Suddenly, from behind a nearby vendor's stand, there was a large explosion, and smoke was everywhere in an instant. People screamed and ran in all directions, temporarily blinded. Hikari panicked, being knocked over by someone. Not wanted to be trampled, she curled into a ball. She felt a foot immediately slam into her side. She writhed in pain.  
  
"Ladies and gentlemen!" the man's voice boomed. "This city is unsafe! You see now the effects of an incompetent emperor's reign! You cannot and will not find your loved ones. People here today will DIE!"  
  
The man was insane. Her heart racing, Hikari crawled as far as she could in another direction. Trying as hard as she could to hold back her tears, whether they were from the stinging smoke or fear, she shivered. She had no idea what to do in a situation such as this. Standing up, she immediately hit her head on what was probably part of a stand, and fell back down. She started to cry, wishing as hard as she could that someone could aid her in such a helpless situation. She wanted now, more than anything, to see the face of one of her seishi, the only people she knew she could trust.  
  
"Hikari-san!" a voice said urgently, as a hand grasped her arm. It was Chiriko- she had been saved. He pulled her upwards, and she clung to him. "No, Keep doing whatever you were doing!"  
  
"What, this?" she started to sit back down, but he held her upright.  
  
"No, weren't you sending our your chi?"  
  
"My. . .? No."  
  
"But I heard you calling to me! We all did! That's how I could find you."  
  
"But. . ."  
  
"Just run, come on!"  
  
Trying as best as she could to be helpful, Hikari once again wished that more seishi would find her. And they bumped into Chichiri.  
  
"Good job, Hikari-chan! Let's move!"  
  
"Where are the others, Chichiri?" Hikari asked.  
  
"On the outskirts of the smoke." They ran, a seishi on either side of Hikari, until the smoke started clearing away. About ten feet apart from each other were Tasuki and Mitsukake, both looking very serious. Mitsukake was directing some small children away from the smoke while simultaneously asking a woman if she needed any help. Tasuki was swinging his fan in a non-stop circle, chanting the entire time. The smoke was being dissolved with every burst of flames. If Hikari had had any doubt in her mind about these men, it was cleared now. They were pros at what they did.  
  
"Oi, 'Chiri!" Tasuki said quickly, inbetween his mumblings. "Where're Nuriko an' Hotohori?"  
  
"They're coming," he said patiently. Hikari blushed and immediately felt guilty. Her dirty mind was going to get her into trouble. "I got a response from their chi- they're coming this way."  
  
Hikari noticed a tall figure walking briskly through the smoke, which could have easily been Hotohori. Instead, the malicious man who started the whole thing was coming closer and closer towards the five of them. He had a nasty grin on his face.  
  
"I thought so," he said in a booming voice. "The Suzaku no Miko has arrived. I could tell from the stupid expression on her face. Is that an inherited trait, or are of suzaku's minions doomed to lack intelligence?"  
  
There was furious yelling coming from all the seishi and priestess. Even Mitsukake and Chichiri looked ready to jump this man.  
"Who do you think you are!" Hikari shouted, regaining her confidence.  
  
"Haven't you heard? I'm Konan's little 'rebel.' Thanks to you, kitten, my plans are set in stone."  
  
"Don't you call her KITTEN!" Was the cry in unison.  
  
"Where are the others? Or have they died already? Such a pity you die out so quickly."  
  
"Shut yer fuckin' trap," Tasuki spat. 'Fuckin,' Hikari thought, and blushed again. Between the feelings of guilt, embarrassment, and rage, she thought she was going to throw up.  
  
"Oh, so they're alive? Then tell your Tamahome that I challenge him to a duel. To the death, nine days after today." The seishi grew silent, and the man walked closer until he was inches away from Hikari, towering over her.  
  
"TAMAHOME ACCEPTS!" Hikari yelled up at him, and before she thought about what was happening, she quickly kicked her leg up into the spot she knew even the most condescending man could not tolerate pain in. As the man doubled over in pain, looking surprised, Mitsukake clamped his hand over Hikari's mouth, and Tasuki and Chichiri grabbed her arms and pulled her away from the area as fast as they could.  
  
"Hikari-san, I wouldn't have done that!" Chiriko said. "What are we going to do?"  
  
"We can get Otou-san over here! I just know we can!" she shouted desperately, nudging Mitsukake's hand away. The seishi looked sad for a minute.  
  
"What about Hotohori and Nuriko?" Mitsukake asked. Hikari blushed once again, remembering what they saw.  
  
"Oh, they'll come soon."  
  
'If they haven't already,' Hikari thought to herself.  
  
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Hearing a knock at her locked door, Hikari squeaked. "Hai?"  
  
"Hikari-san, weren't you hungry?" Chiriko's voice said at the door.  
  
"Um, not especially!"  
  
"Is anything wrong?" Hikari jumped up to unlock the door, realizing her rudeness.  
  
"Well, I just, um, I'm a little embarrassed."  
  
"About agreeing to the fight?"  
  
"No, but now that you mention it. . ."  
  
"Oh, sorry. I wouldn't worry about the fight, though, Hikari-san."  
  
"Ano ne," she said, switching subjects. "Just Hikari is fine."  
  
"Oh, sorry!" Chiriko apologized once again. Suddenly there was another knock at the slightly ajar door, and it creaked open. Hotohori stepped into the room.  
  
Hikari thought she was a human flame. He came and sat near where Hikari and Chiriko had seated themselves on the ground.  
  
"Hikari, I'm very sorry about earlier," apologized, bowing. "We did not mean to cause you any bad memories."  
  
"Oh, no!" she said, laughing nervously. "I'm very sorry for intruding. I just came to see if I could help you with your bags, but, um."  
  
"No no, don't worry about it." He stood up to leave. An odd expression was starting to penetrate his stoic features.  
  
"You and Nuriko are a very beautiful couple," said Hikari, trying to break the awkward silence. It obviously was not the smartest choice. Hotohori was now laughing nervously as well.  
  
"Thank you," he said, and shut the door. There was silence again.  
  
"HAH!" Chiriko snorted in a short imitation of the nervous laughter, dropping his usual formality. She looked away, still mortified. "Ah, sorry."  
  
"No, it's fine. You're acting like guys do back home." She smiled. Saying that out loud had comforted her homesickness.  
  
"What could have possibly happened to make you AND Hotohori act like that? You didn't walk in on them ha. . .oh, you did. You did, didn't you. Oh my suzaku." Hikari hugged her knees and rocked slowly. "I'm sure it wasn't that bad, just forget about it. Come on."  
  
"Don't say that word to me."  
  
"What, on?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Come?"  
  
"Shush! Stop it!"  
  
He laughed. "Does that mean something dirty in your world?"  
  
"No, be quiet!"  
  
"No, no, tell me! Why are you so upset?"  
  
"No reason."  
  
"You can tell me."  
  
"I DIDN'T KNOW PEOPLE COULD DO THAT TO EACH OTHER!" With that, Hikari burst into tears and hid her face behind her knees.  
  
"Calm down, calm down," he said, patting her awkwardly on the back. He was trying to suppress his laughter, but it wasn't working. Inbetween her tears, Hikari was laughing as well, in an embarrassed sort of way.  
  
"Is there a way to retrieve Tamahome?" she said, changing the subject.  
  
"No, he is Taka now," he replied.  
  
"Then what will we do?"  
  
"Well, you see. . ."  
  
"You have a plan! Tell me!"  
  
"I'm not the best person to. . ."  
  
"Tell me!"  
  
"Taiitsukun."  
  
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Bit of, okay well a LOT of sex jokes in there, but I managed to make it interesting AND get a major part of the plot going. Didn't I? DIDN'T I!  
  
Anyways, happy birthday Kerry. To the rest of you, stay tuned! PLEASE review!! All reviewers get. . .um. . .manflesh! Or womanflesh. Reviewers choice. Although Caitlin, I think we need to start those death threats again?  
  
Stay tuned for chapter 12! *cheesy television music* 


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